What Loki Wants
by shockedlizard
Summary: It's no secret, Tony's been fraternising with the enemy. He knows he shouldn't; Loki is a lying psychopath and the best way to deal with the situation is to end it—especially since he knows Loki is up to something. But Loki's secret isn't an evil scheme, he's pregnant.
1. What did you say?

**Chapter One**

**_What did you say?_  
**

* * *

Tony Stark was not a sentimental man. Nor one to remember anniversaries or invitations - hell, he didn't even know his own social security number. So when Thor told him that Loki's birthday was in two days, Tony's immediate reaction was genuine surprise followed by a shrug of indifference.

"Will you be offering Loki your wishes, Man of Iron?" Thor asked him. At that, Tony raised an eyebrow. Had the others told Thor? Even though his on-and-off relationship (if they could even call it a relationship) with Loki was barely a secret anymore, the other Avengers had sworn - for the sake of Tony's continued existence - that they wouldn't tell Loki's muscular and incredibly powerful older brother.

"Why would I get Loki anything?" he answered sharply. He tried to avoid looking directly at Thor. For some inexplicable reason, Tony was feeling guilty. Maybe it was because Loki still ignored Thor's existence while favouring Tony with the occasional intel, or maybe it was because he was sleeping with the guy's brother - either way, the conversation was making him uneasy. And the thought of Loki's birthday coming up - shit, what could he possibly give Loki that the Norse _god_ didn't already have?

Thor's chair made a soft screech on the dining room floor as he shifted his position, his big blue eyes locking onto Tony's. "If you were to present him with a gift," Thor continued in a light tone, "Might I suggest a bouquet of wonderful roses, or heart-shaped chocolates-"

"Oh g- who told you? Was it Steve? Did Steve tell you?" Tony groaned, running a hand through his hair. "It was Clint, wasn't it?"

Thor said nothing though his lips curved into a smile. So he wasn't going to tear him apart after all. That was a relief. Tony sighed before asking half-heartedly, "What does Loki like anyway? Aside from, you know," he paused, gesturing to the windows that gave way to the city skyline, his gaze lingering on the massive hole in a tall building that Loki had blasted through last year. He had no idea why the city hadn't fixed it yet.

He was sleeping with a psychopath. A destructive lunatic. For what seemed like the hundredth time that week, Tony's thoughts drifted to Loki and he found himself wondering what the hell he was doing, getting into bed with a dangerous enemy.

Out of the corner of his eye, Tony could see Thor surveying him with a mixture of curiosity and happiness. He held back a sigh, managing to avoid eye-contact while he continued rummaging about in the kitchen cupboards. Thor's approval was making Tony feel even worse.

"My brother has always had a fondness for horses," Thor finally replied.

"Like 'My Little Pony'?" He pulled out a wineglass from the cabinet.

"I have never set eyes on your pony."

"Would you like to?" Tony smirked, when -

_BA-BOOM!_ The whole mansion shook with a thunderous noise.

Tony jerked backwards with a start, narrowly catching the wineglass slipping from his hand as Thor leapt to his feet. With a loud crack through the air, Mjolnir slammed into the palm of Thor's open hand while Tony began cursing, narrowly avoiding the broken glass as he made his way out of the kitchen.

"JARVIS, what the hell was that?" he demanded. Back in the dining area, Thor's head continued to swivel in every direction, his expression wary.

"I believe it came from Dr. Banner's room, sir," JARVIS replied. Thor and Tony exchanged looks, hurrying to the elevator. Whatever that noise was, it didn't sound good.

* * *

Dr. Banner wasn't in his room.

One missing scientist, five hours, and a wild goose chase later, The Avengers were tracking what they hoped was Banner's energy signature through an abandoned warehouse.

However, they weren't alone.

* * *

Loki looked up, hearing the sounds of hushed voices and hurried footsteps. He stepped back into the shadows, careful to remain invisible to them. The Avengers.

Captain America led the way. He appeared to be scolding the rest of the group. On his left, Barton seemed disinterested; on his right was Natasha, her face stoic, her movements cautious; Banner was absent; Thor looked frustrated, the air crackling around him; and Iron Man sauntered between Thor and Barton, uncharacteristically silent as the Captain continued to chastise them.

"We work together as a team, you don't take off in the middle of the night without warning and start blowing up half of the city-"

"Bruce was gone, Steve, something was obviously wrong and we couldn't just wait for the rest of you to come back," complained Tony. "We made the right call."

"You got caught in a trap and set off three bombs that endangered civilian life," Steve snapped. "And we still don't know where Bruce is."

"We have to find my brother," said Thor, sounding resigned. "Before it's too late."

"What does _he_ have to do with this?" Barton piped up.

Good question, thought Loki, hidden in the shadows.

"For a start, he's been quiet for over five months now. We knew he was planning something really big, we just didn't know what." The Captain grimaced.

"And we recovered his staff in Dr. Banner's quarters," Thor added, a hint of anger in his voice.

Loki rolled his eyes. What sort of imbecile kidnaps his enemy and then leaves his signature weapon behind to be found by his enemies? It was offensive that The Avengers felt he was stupid enough to commit such a mistake. Or maybe they were too stupid to draw accurate conclusions from their own evidence. Anyone with eyes could see that he was being framed. Such fools, how were they even superheroes - Loki gasped, feeling a sudden pain in his abdomen. Clutching his stomach, he sucked in a lungful of air and exhaled slowly, his eyelids shut as he reminded himself to breathe.

When he next opened them, The Avengers had gone.

And Iron Man was standing in front of him.

* * *

"Stark." Loki said coolly, a natural smile on his lips. "Without your squabbling squad of superheroes. What a pleasure-"

"What the hell are you playing at?" Tony opened his helmet, dark eyes flashing. Before Loki could respond, he grabbed him by the collar and slammed the Asgardian into the wall. Loki winced.

"Where the hell is Bruce Banner?" he hissed. "You-"

"It wasn't me, Stark," Loki interrupted, sounding almost bored. "I have no idea who it was or why they have a replica of my staff."

"And I'm supposed to just believe you, am I?" Tony laughed bitterly. "Because you, Liesmith, are so trustworthy."

"I would not lie to you, Stark."

"Where is he?"

"My dearest Iron Man, you are as deaf as you are dumb. Now release me."

Tony's eyes burned with ferocity, as if he was trying to break into Loki's mind and crack the Asgardian's emotionless expression. He was furious, but a second emotion flickered behind the rage. A desire to believe Loki, to buy his words, that he really had nothing to do with what was happening - that Tony could trust him. But _dammit_ of course he couldn't. Bruce was missing, maybe even dead. He was an idiot to think that there was more to Loki than the villain everyone aside from Thor always saw.

He thought that what they had - their fling or whatever it was - would prevent the Prankster from pulling his usual stunts. And, with the last eerily peaceful five months, Tony had begun harbouring a faint hope that Loki could even join them someday.

You're an idiot, Tony, he told himself, a complete idiot.

"If looks could kill, Stark," Loki commented wryly, wrenching Tony's attention back to the current situation.

"If you didn't take him then why are you here?"

Loki gave him an odd expression. "There was..." He hesitated. "I have...news...which may be of concern to you."

Tony's eyes narrowed, his grip loosening slightly. "Intel?"

"Release me first."

He opened his mouth to retort when Steve's voice filled his ear through the comms. "Tony! Where are you? We found Bruce, he's injured, not too badly, but we're gonna head back to headquarters - hello, can you hear me?"

"Loud and clear, Capsicle," Tony replied, a hint of annoyance in his voice. "Go on first, I'll be right there." His eyes were still on Loki, searching the armour, and his pale, indecipherable face, for any sign of guilt or maybe even a testament to the Prankster's innocence. He tilted his head to the side for a better view. Was it him or did Loki seem a lot paler - and did he gain weight?

"Picturing me naked again?" Loki's bright green eyes glinted with mischief. Or Lust. Tony choked, trying to ignore the burning desire in his chest. There was something intoxicating about Loki's presence. He wanted to lean further in, to meet Loki's soft lips - but no, he couldn't. For all he knew, Loki had done something horrible to Bruce.

Being with the Asgardian was like playing with explosives. Sooner or later, it would blow up in his face and The Avengers would be the ones to pay the price. Loki was too capricious, too dangerous, too much of a risk. Although he loved their breathless escapades and late night excitement, if things continued unchecked then Tony would become a liability to the team. Someone would get hurt - someone he cared about. All because he couldn't keep it in his pants. He needed to be able to kill Loki, especially if their long-time enemy was sneaking about the mansion and kidnapping the others.

"We have to stop." Tony stepped back, releasing him. Loki blinked twice in confusion, fingering his freed collar as he began slowly circling Tony where he stood. Keeping still, Tony watched the way Loki's body moved, feeling strangely aroused by the intensity of the Asgardian's gaze as he stared at Tony though breathtakingly green eyes.

A tiny part of him had always been fascinated with Loki, a fascination that grew and grew until it became something tangible - a lethal affair that set off every alarm bell in his mind. But Loki was hard to resist. The emerald eyes flashing above a killer's smirk, the way he flicked his cloak and rolled his eyes, the way he walked and talked, sauntering about like he owned the world, the curl of his mouth, the odd looks he sometimes gave Tony, the dip in his hips, and the taste of his-

"You're on S.H.I.E.L.D's most wanted list!" Tony exclaimed, startling Loki. He gestured to the horned helmet and the rest of Loki's Asgardian outfit. "You're a criminal! And I'm..." Throwing his arms open wide, he gave a little twirl in the Iron Man suit, "I'm one of the good guys, I'm _Iron Man_, okay? This shouldn't have happened. Iron Man does not get into bed with Loki _Laufeyson_."

Loki smiled. "All evidence to the contrary, Iron Man."

"And you talk like you're a hundred years old!"

"Do not be intimidated by my wisdom."

"You're a psychopath, you blow people up because you think it's fun. You tried to take over the world, you've tried to kill me a thousand times in the past, and my friends-"

"You pursued me first."

"Because you were trying to destroy the world!"

"Who said I was referring to that?"

"You and me, this can't happen."

"It already has."

"Then it won't happen again."

"Stark, are you _still_ blaming me for what transpired today? It. Was. Not. Me. I am not responsible for Dr. Banner's disappearance," Loki repeated, irritation clear on his face. Tony closed his helmet - cutting Loki off mid-sentence.

"Stark." His name fell from Loki's lips like an anchor, the voice soft but hard. "Stop being a fool." Tony aimed a fist towards Loki's head. It was now or never. Loki was closing the distance between them, his expression darkening. "I am with ch-"

Iron Man's palm flayed open but before the weapon was even fired, Loki gasped, doubling over as he clutched his stomach, his knees hitting the ground with a thud.

"That wasn't me," Tony muttered in surprise. His arm fell back to his side as he spun around wildly. What on earth had attacked Loki? The Asgardian's breathing had become ragged, his head bent forward and a hand clasped over his mouth. Ignoring a sudden pang of guilt, Tony darted forward to help Loki up - only to meet a green-eyed gaze filled with loathing.

"If you intend to kill me then this is a perfect opportunity," Loki managed to hiss.

Tony faltered. He wasn't actually going to pull the trigger. Not yet, anyway. Their relationship was just confusing and reprehending Loki, who probably _was_ responsible for Bruce going missing, seemed like a good idea less than a minute ago.

"Shut up." Tony grabbed Loki's arm - earning him a scowl but little resistance - and draped it over his shoulder. Bending down slightly, he tried to use his own body weight to pull Loki up. "Come on, the mansion's not too far away, we'll look at your wounds there."

"I have...no wounds...Stark," Loki insisted, trying to push himself away from Tony despite his words coming out in short gasps. He was struggling to stand but his face was an impassive mask, only his eyes showed the barest hint of pain.

"The others won't be happy," Tony continued, ignoring Loki's protests. "But I'll tell them you didn't have anything to do with what happened to Bruce."

He hardly believed the words coming from his own mouth.

"What's the worse they could do to me, right? They already know I'm - you know - _canoodling_ with you."

"Canoodling." Loki rolled his eyes. "How touching...you'll actually vouch for me. And to think...only a moment ago, you were so eager to blast your unborn child into smithereens."

"Yeah well you're - my what?"

"Surprise."

"What did you say?"

"I will not repeat myself, Stark."

"You're joking. You're joking, right? Loki, this isn't funny. I don't know what kind of humour you have on Asgard but we don't joke about these kinds of things on earth-"

"You fool. Do I look like I'm joking?" Loki snapped at the floor, unable to straighten himself.

"You're a dude, how are you - no, you're not a dude, but you are a dude but but _but_-" Wincing, Loki collapsed into Tony - cutting off the mindless rambling.

"Loki!" Tony caught him and gingerly placed placed an arm around Loki's waist to better support his weight. He tried not to panic. Tony Stark did not freak out. Freaking out never helped anyone. Besides, Loki couldn't really be - could he? It was impossible - wasn't it?

Then again, he was alien after all.

Their midnight meetings were proof enough that Loki's anatomy was different from ordinary humans. He could form the right parts but Tony had always assumed that those parts were just for show - he never once thought they were an actual part of Loki's real reproductive system. To be fair, he had never even thought about Loki's reproductive system. Who thought about those things anyway? And weren't there biological rules, pre-zygotic barriers, that clearly stated that different species couldn't interbreed? Loki couldn't be-

Tony sucked in a lungful of air. For the second time that day, he wondered what the hell he was doing. Why did he have to get into bed with a dangerous enemy?

From the side of Tony's neck, came a pained voice, "You should have never put it in."


	2. Why don't you trust me?

**A/N:**

1. Thank you to everyone who followed/favourited/reviewed

aslkdjasdjkl; you are all awesome people

2. Sleipnir is Odin's eight-legged horse in Norse mythology and the child of Loki (mother) and Svaðilfari (father).

He's supposed to be the greatest horse that ever existed with the ability to cross between the realms of life and death.

Yes, Loki gave birth to a horse. Let's not go into details.

******3. TRIGGER WARNING**

4. Sorry about that ^ I _swear_ things get more cheerful later on T^T

* * *

**Chapter Two**

_**Why don't you trust me?**_

* * *

Thor splashed his face with icy cold water, feeling it sting against his skin. Breathing slowly, he closed the bathroom tap and turned around to face the slim figure spread across his bed. Dark eyes, framed by silver-grey hair, and adorned in black and ocean-blue Asgardian attire.

"Sleipnir," Thor looked at his nephew, once again taken aback at the boy's human form. Aside from the colour of his hair and eyes, he was the spitting image of Loki. "If you are lying-"

"I'm not," said Sleipnir, one arm propped up underneath his head as he watched Thor stagger out of the bathroom and to the front of the bed. "The All-father had initially ordered Sif and The Warriors Three to come to Midgard...I offered my services instead."

"Why?" asked Thor, wrecked with emotion - a far cry from the cold demeanour of his nephew.

"I haven't used my human form in over a century," said the boy in an offhand manner almost identical to Loki's. "I needed the practice. On Asgard, Odin needs me to be nothing more than his steed but sometimes, I prefer the presence of two-legged folk instead. With this task, I am able to do just that."

"Task? This is your task then, to tell me that there is no hope for Loki? For _your_-"

"Do not shoot the messenger, dearest uncle."

Thor collapsed by the wall, burying his head in his hands. "Nir. Tell me again what was said."

"Loki is with-child. He kept it hidden from Heimdall for nine Midgardian months until last night when his cover shattered and Heimdall saw the truth of the matter. By the laws of Asgard, Loki will pay for his crimes - the child ripped from him and both left to die in the never-ending abyss."

Thor gaped. "And you will allow that to happen?"

Nir's gaze drifted to the ceiling, a distracted look in his eyes. "I serve Odin and Loki knows the laws that we are bound by."

"What _law_-"

"It is futile," said Nir, his voice growing more forceful with every word. "He will not live long either way, Thor. He is a shapeshifter, yes, but he is not designed for childbirth. Especially after what mine has done to him...this process will kill him. And if it doesn't then Asgard will."

"We must do something, Nir!" Thor managed to croak. "Loki has changed, he is not good but neither is he as mad as he once was - The Man of Iron has changed him, Loki has not caused destruction for five moons, and the others are beginning to accept his presence around Stark. He comes to _dinner_ sometimes, he does not deserve a sentence such as - such as this!"

"He will be brought before Asgard by the end of today," Nir finished. There was no emotion in his voice, the boy seemed to feel nothing for the situation at hand. It angered Thor, frustrated him. How could Odin allow such a sentence to be passed? It made no sense.

And to send Loki's own son, Sleipnir, to bring him the news and drag him before the throne - it was cruel. Thor would not stand for it. He loved his father, he truly did, but the situation was beyond ridiculous.

"Loki has done no wrong! I have never heard of this law that Loki has supposedly broken - many have conceived children with Midgardians, it is not unheard of. There is no reason to punish Loki for having a Midgardian child when so many others have done it before!" Thor's voice cracked at the last word.

"Midgardian?" Sleipnir's eyes narrowed. "What are you babbling about, Thor? The child is yours."

* * *

At about two in the morning, when all the world was still, Pepper Potts woke up to the sound of Iron Man slamming down on her front yard. She rubbed her eyes, shifting her head to face Happy who was snoring soundly beside her. Yawning, she pulled on his arm.

"I think Tony's outside," she muttered. "We should...we should go see." The only response she got was an unintelligible mumble as Happy rolled over in his sleep. Pepper sighed and forced herself out of bed, instinctively worried that Tony had gotten himself into yet another horrible mess.

"It's in the middle of the night," she called out, dragging herself towards the front door. "This better be a life and death situation, Tony!"

* * *

Tony tightened his grip on the crumpled body in his arms and - using his back - smashed Pepper's front door open just as she appeared in the hallway.

"OH MY GOD TONY!" she screamed, jumping backwards from the dust and debris. "I was going to open the door, you didn't have to break it!"

Tony didn't even bother with a reply, he marched past her into the living room where he knelt down beside a couch and placed the unconscious Loki there. His face had streaks of blood on it and his dark eyelashes were a striking contrast against the pallid complexion of his skin. Loki had never been as muscular or golden as Thor but he had never looked that sick before.

"Tony-" Pepper's hand flew to her mouth. She took one look at Loki, his clothes drenched in blood, and swore under her breath. "Fucking hell."

Tony gave her an amused look. If Pepper was using words like _those_ then the situation _must_ be bad.

"What happened?" she cried, rushing over to them. Tony shrugged, collapsing into the nearest armchair. She stood over Loki, her hands hovering in the air as if she wanted to touch him and see if he was okay but wasn't sure if she should.

When it first came to light that Tony and Loki were involved, Pepper was the first to freak out. But as time went by and the others accepted Loki only as part of Tony's self-destructive need for stupidity, Pepper actually started making an effort to get to know Loki. That's why he came to her and not anyone else. If he was going to trust anyone with Loki, it would be her.

That's why he had to tell her.

"Hey Pep..." he began. Pepper looked at him sharply, her eyes wide and her face pale. He wasn't sure where to begin. There were so many questions Loki hadn't answered. It was all so insane.

"Tony, what happened?" The concern in her voice made him feel like throwing himself off a cliff. He needed a drink. God, he needed a drink.

"Tony!" she cried, clearly distraught. To be fair, he had just brought an unconscious evil villain into her house and she had every right to an emotional breakdown.

He met her gaze and exhaled slowly. "I called a doctor while I was on the way here, your house is closer than the hospital so I thought..." his voice trailed off and she sank into the chair opposite him. They stayed like that for a moment, both pairs of eyes fixed on Loki, the air heavy with unspoken words and fears - when Loki's arm suddenly moved to his face, his eyes slowly opening.

Tony watched as Loki looked around, disoriented, at first - eyes flickering between him, Pepper, the amount of blood on his own clothes, and the homey-looking room they were in - before understanding set in. The first thing he did was place a hand on his torso. When he lifted it again, his palm was dripping in red.

"Are you alright?" whispered Pepper. "What happened? Who attacked you? I'm sorry, that can wait - are you going to be okay?"

"Perhaps some water-"

"Yeah, sure - of course." She stood up and hurried towards the kitchen, disappearing into the hallway with a petrified look on her face.

"Stark," said Loki in a thin voice.

"Glad to see you're al-"

"I lost the child," he continued calmly. Tony froze. Loki's green eyes had a glazed expression, like he was not quite conscious yet. "What do I look like?"

"A mess," Tony replied. "You look like - _shit_!" He jolted backwards, startled, as Loki's skin turned blue. Etchings, like runes, appeared across his _blue_ skin - and disappeared as quickly as it occurred, his face returning to its usual colour.

"You just turned blue - Loki you turned _Jotun_!" Tony opened his helmet, calming himself down. He'd seen that form before, there was no need to panic.

Loki flexed his bloody hand in front of his face, and a small burst of green light exploded from his fingertips. He twirled his hand around; the green light quivered and extinguished in a puff of smoke - leaving the blood dried but still there nonetheless. "Interesting..."

"Something wrong with your magic?" Tony guessed.

Loki nodded. "This staff you found in Dr. Banner's room, was it _exactly_ the same as mine?"

"Yes- no. _Almost_ the same but it had this little catch thing on top, like a cup-holder but skinnier."

"Skinny...would it be a perfect fit for a test-tube?"

"I guess so." Tony pulled his helmet off. "Look, is that important right now? How do you feel? The doctor should be on his way but we can go to the hospital by car, you shouldn't be teleporting since your magic is crap right now-"

Loki glared at him. "My sorcery is not _crap_ it has been tampered with." His face contorted slightly as he grabbed the side of the couch and tried to pull himself up. Tony reached forward to lend a hand but Loki slapped it away. "Don't touch me."

A surge of anger rose inside Tony and he bit down a scathing remark. Loki had been through hell, the least he could do was be nice to him - even if he _was_ being irritable. Crossing his arms, Tony reclined on the armchair as Loki swung his legs off the sofa and sat up neatly in one swift movement. Damn. Even when he was a mess, the guy still had style.

Loki ran a hand across his stomach, almost curiously, and Tony felt a lump in his throat.

"Why didn't you tell me?" The words tumbled out of his mouth before he could stop them. He knew it wasn't the greatest time but Loki shouldn't have kept it a secret from him.

His anger subsiding, all Tony could feel was an aching sense of an emotion he couldn't quite place. It felt like he had lost something he didn't even know he had - was he that much of an asshole that Loki couldn't even trust him? "I could've helped."

"What else did you find in Banner's room?"

"What?"

"Tell me," Loki demanded, his eyes ablaze.

"How is that important?" Tony asked in disbelief. "I don't know if you've realised but now's not exactly the time to be worrying about Bruce."

Loki rolled his eyes - and that was the last straw. Tony snapped like a twig being stepped on.

"See _that's_ the problem here!" he yelled and jumped to his feet, towering over Loki. "And people say _I'm_ selfish and don't play well with others? You're even worse! You don't give a _damn_ about anyone but yourself - you think no one is as good as you and that you're better off without anyone else - you're an _idiot_!"

"How _dare_ you?" If Loki was angry before, it was nothing compared to his reaction after Tony's outburst. He was positively livid. "I withheld the truth from you because you wouldn't have been able to handle it-"

"Who are you to decide that?"

"Then what would you have done, Stark? Tell me then, if I had told you nine months ago that I was carrying your child, how would you have reacted?"

"Well how the hell am I supposed to know? You _didn't_ tell me-"

"Why does this even matter? I lost the child, Stark," Loki snarled.

"That's beside the point," Tony sighed, falling back into the chair. He didn't even know what he was saying, or what he wanted to say, or what he was even feeling. "The thing is that you didn't _trust_ me. I get it, it's not like - it's not like we're a permanent, real thing so I know why you had reservations about telling me...but we're not just fuck buddies either. We talk, we laugh, we fight, we fall asleep next to each other, and wake up the next morning arguing about where to go for breakfast. We've been doing that at least two to three times a week for almost a _whole_ _year_. You should know me well enough to know that you could have told me."

Tony didn't expect an apology from Loki, or any sort of acknowledgement that he had a right to have known, so when Loki said that he was in the wrong to keep the situation a secret from him - Tony's jaw fell open before he abruptly closed it again.

"Well okay," said Tony, reeling from the unexpected change of tune. "Glad we sorted that out." Loki rolled his eyes again. "Anything else I should know about?" Tony added.

Loki frowned. "Imagine a piece of fabric..."

"What?"

"Shut up, Stark, and listen."

"Oh, right."

"And you're using this fabric to cover a specific number of items. That is similar to how magic works, there is a limit on the amount of magic I can use and I cannot surpass this limit. Using this magic, I am- I was able to safely carry the child while still maintaing my ordinary physique. A bit like...like being bigger on the inside. But it took up a lot of magic and, with each passing the day, the amount of magic needed grew to exponential levels and I could not have held on for very long.

One evening, about five months ago, I happened across Dr. Banner at a junkyard. He was naked and desperate for a way to better control the beast within. We struck a deal. Together we would combine his knowledge as a medical doctor and scientist, and the technology at his disposable, with my excellent grasp of sorcery to solve both our problems. In exchange for a method to manipulate my magic enough to carry the child to term without risk of death for either me or the child, I would in turn design a way for Banner to retain his mind while in beast form."

Loki paused, shooting Tony a careful glance. "Questions?"

"No," said Tony. "I'm good."

"Good," he continued, "Banner took a sample of my magic for experimentaion, he kept a box of test-tubes which contained various concentrations of my...essence, you could say. After a month, he gave me what I asked for.

I, on the other hand, had to deal with a far more difficult request. For the past five months, I've been meeting with Banner to test on him various spells that may work - so far, none of them have.

Two weeks ago, Banner informed me that one of the test-tubes had gone missing. I attempted to track it down and found nothing, eventually dismissing it as Banner's absentmindedness.

However...last night, before the incident at the warehouse, my magic fluctuated - like a power supply being cut off for a minute or two. Then, when we flew over the city, my magic disappeared for a second - much longer - time. And what you saw earlier was the third disappearance of my sorcery; I turned Jotun blue since this Asgardian form is partly due to magic.

The only possible explanation is that someone is using the test-tube to stem my magic. I went to see Banner last night but by the time I got there, all I saw was the beast throwing a dark figure out the window. Having searched through the area where this mysterious person fell and finding nothing, I followed Banner to the warehouse - and now here we are."

That was a lot to process and even more to be concerned about. Rubbing his temples, Tony tried not to think too much about the things he couldn't fix.

"You two are more screwed-up than we are," said an awed man's voice and they both looked up to see Happy and Pepper standing by the doorway. Judging by the bewildered expressions on their faces, they had heard the entire conversation.

"So we should track this test-tube guy down." Pepper clasped her hands together. "Find him and bring him to justice."

"Justice." Happy repeated. "Kind of ironic with Loki in the house."

Loki gave them a wry smile. "I'm not one for justice, why don't we exact revenge instead?"

"Right." Tony stood up. "Pepper, see what you can find on known criminals in the city who can use magic. Loki, go shower, Happy'll lend you some clothes. Happy, lend Loki some clothes then buy us some cheeseburgers. It's gonna be a long day."

"Where are you going?" Pepper asked.

Tony closed his helmet, running a system check on the suit. "Avengers Mansion. There's someone whose ass I need to kick."


	3. What are you planning?

**A/N: A big thank you again to everyone reading/reviewing this :) **

* * *

**Chapter Three**

**_What are you planning?_**

* * *

Loki glanced at his reflection in the window, at the white dress shirt Happy had lent him and the pair of tight jeans - without his armour, he looked so...Midgardian. Sighing, he closed the back door to Pepper's home and continued down the pathway. Stark was insane if he thought he was going to stay obediently in one place while Stark rose hell in his name - he wasn't that fool of a human's _pet_. He was Loki Laufeyson and he had an Asgardian to destroy.

* * *

"...and that's what happened," Bruce finished with a sigh. They were back in the mansion, Steve was patching up the wounds on Bruce's arm in the first-aid room while Natasha helped, Clint was dozing off in a chair, and Thor's face was screwed up in thought as he sulked about near the doorway.

He had disappeared into his room shortly after they returned only to appear later looking stricken. No one had dared to ask him what the matter was, preferring to turn their attention to Bruce who was less likely to pummel them to death with a hammer.

Tony still hadn't arrived, adding to Steve's worries, but he swallowed down the sense of unease at the back of his mind. Attending to Bruce, he asked the injured man about what had happened. That was when Bruce started telling them about his deal with Loki.

"So let me get this straight." Steve rubbed his temples, wishing they could all go on holiday for a while and maybe go one week without someone trying to kill them or destroy the world. "Loki is pregnant - and this is all somehow possible because he's a shapeshifter - but he needed your help to stay alive so he gave you his magic?"

"Yeah..."

"And you lost this...this _test-tube_," said Thor darkly. Bruce gulped.

"Two weeks ago you lost the tube and then a week ago you and Loki traced this guy's energy signature and found his staff - the one that looks like Loki's - in an empty shack in the middle of the woods?"

"You know how ridiculous this sounds, right?" said Natasha.

"Then last night the two of you laid the staff in your room as a trap," Steve continued, struggling to maintain his calm composure. "You wanted to lure this guy and capture him but the plan backfired and you...the Hulk came out and the next thing you know, we were waking you up in the warehouse."

"You were messing around with Loki for five months behind our back," Natasha's words were laced with anger. "And then you led some random sorcerer into HQ."

"What were you thinking?" asked Steve in disbelief. "Does Tony know?"

"I don't think he knows anything."

"My brother," said Thor, his voice low. "This child he carries - did he say it was Tony Stark's bastard?"

"Bastard's a harsh word." Bruce gave a nervous laugh but quickly coughed when he caught Thor's razor sharp glare. "Yeah...yeah, the baby is Tony's."

"Who else would it be?" Clint said sleepily, rubbing his eyes. "It's been going on for forever in case you didn't know. Haven't you heard any of the noises coming from the lab when Loki comes over? I think I'm scarred for life." He shuddered.

Steve sighed heavily. "Anything else we should know?" Bruce hesitated, studying his hands. "Bruce? Is there anything else we don't know about?"

"The plan...it was that I corner the guy in the room while Loki waited outside to deal with him when he tries to run...but I hulked out, threw the guy out the window, and ran - I think Loki came after me but I don't know what happened after that. He might be in trouble..." his voice trailed off. "We have to find this guy."

"How?" Natasha folded her arms. "We don't even know who this mysterious sorcerer is."

Steve sighed again. "And where is Tony-"

"Here I am!"

The door swung open, and Tony Stark walked in, a bottle of champagne in one hand. It was like all the air was suddenly sucked out of the room. To Steve's relief, Tony wasn't in the Iron Man suit - that should lower the amount of possible damage he could cause.

"Tony, we need to talk."

Tony smiled cheerfully. "Yeah, let's talk." He walked over to Bruce and patted his shoulder, there was something frightening about the way Tony was looking at him but before anyone could register what it was, Tony had thrown a right hook into Bruce's face - slamming him into the ground.

"TONY!" Steve and Natasha leapt onto him but it was too late. Tony wasn't holding anything back, and Bruce was - shockingly - responding even more violently. Steve yelled at them, calling them to stop, grabbing at them, trying to make them see sense. The others - Natasha, Thor, and Clint - had joined in too, trying to pull the two apart but the next thing Steve knew, everything was flying. Punches, curses, furniture - it was mayhem.

"THAT'S ENOUGH!" Steve hollered at the top of his lungs. That caught their attention. "Bruce and Tony, you two stay here - we need to talk. The rest of you should go see if you can find Loki and make sure he's okay."

"He's fine," said Tony breathlessly, lying on his back with one arm pushing up against Bruce's face, his legs pinned to the ground by Natasha, and his other arm twisted behind his head by Thor. For some odd reason, Clint was wrapped around Bruce's waist. "He's at Pepper's."

"Then go see what you can find out about the sorcerer," snapped Steve. "And make sure that the staff is properly secured. We don't want to lose that too."

Natasha took the hint and swiftly stood up, dragging Clint and Thor behind her. "Come on, boys."

Steve waited for the three of them to leave the room before he turned to Tony and Bruce, a tangle of limbs on the living room floor. "Okay, let's talk about this."

"You _knew_." Seething, Tony grabbed a fistful of Bruce's shirt. "You want talk about it? You _knew_ that Loki was having a baby, that he was in trouble, and you didn't tell me? You knew for five goddamn months!"

"He didn't want you to know-"

"But _you_ should have told me! And then you let some psycho take this magic-"

"Look." Steve inserted himself between them, one hand placed on Tony's chest and the other on Bruce. "Enough with the fighting, no one has to get hurt-"

"No one has to get hurt?!" Tony gave a bitter laugh. "The asshole cut off Loki's magic - because _you_ lost the test-tube! What the hell do you think happened last night?"

Bruce looked aghast, and Steve was more confused than ever. "What happened last night?" Tony didn't reply, choosing instead to tighten his clenched fist and swing it straight into Bruce's nose.

"TONY!"

* * *

Sleipnir tiptoed down the corridor towards Bruce Banner's bedroom. Encircling the doorknob lightly with his fingers, he hesitated. Then, with a more resolute look in his eyes, he grasped the knob firmly and pushed the door open.

His gaze immediately locked onto the centre of the dark room. Quietly, he closed the door and flicked on the lights - flinching at the brightness. There was nothing spectacular about the simple room - a single bed, a lamp by the beside table, a crowded desk, and a bookcase crammed with various texts - but in the middle of the room, however, was a dark bloodstain.

"Where are you, staff?" Sleipnir murmured, creeping along one side of the room, scrutinising every corner of it. He ran his finger across the desk, looking thoughtfully at the stain. Upstairs, he could hear yelling and furniture being smashed; Tony Stark had arrived a short while ago - bringing chaos along with him.

Realising that the staff was no longer in the room, Sleipnir turned to leave - and came face-to-face with his own mother.

* * *

Loki had one hand on the doorknob and another poised over the dagger on his belt. Sleipnir froze and Loki eyed him curiously. "What are you doing here?"

"The staff," he replied. "Tell me where it is."

"Downstairs, they have it secured in a laboratory. What need do you have of it?"

Sleipnir looked at Loki as if he was an complete idiot. "How do you expect me to identify your magic-manipulating assailant if I cannot investigate his weapon?"

"You had the staff for an entire week, Sleipnir," Loki snapped. "Before you decided that the best course of action would be to lay the staff in Banner's room as a trap and capture the assailant when he came for his staff - a plan which did _not_ work, I might add-"

"The plan was Banner's, I merely assisted you two in your misguided attempt at finding the assailant and the plan did not work because _your_ green friend threw him out the window!"

"Then the fault lies with Banner," Loki said firmly. Sleipnir rolled his eyes as Loki did the same - if it weren't for their outfits and Sleipnir's silver-grey hair and dark eyes, where Loki's were black and green, they could have been mirror images of each other. Even the way they glared at each other across the room was eerily similar.

The sound of something shattering upstairs caught their attention and both their heads jerked up towards the ceiling.

"TONY!" yelled a man's voice from above, followed by what sounded like a chair being thrown out the window.

"What do Midgardians have against windows?" Sleipnir asked incredulously.

"Unnecessary things, windows." Folding his arms, Loki rested his back on the wall, amused at the ruckus above them. So Tony _was_ raising hell in his name. That was flattering.

"We might have overdone it," said Sleipnir, eyes narrowed in thought.

Loki's eyes glinted. "Ah yes, excellent work last night. Where _did_ you get all that blood?"

"I stole a goat from a stupid man's farm."

More screaming and smashing ensued from the ceiling. Sleipnir looked uncomfortable and when he next spoke, he seemed to have trouble getting the words out. "We overdid it last night, Loki. Tony Stark is in turmoil."

Loki raised an eyebrow. "_You_ stripped me of my magic and knocked me unconscious. I do not remember agreeing to _that_."

"You told me to make it convincing."

"You _ruined_ my best outfit with _goat_ blood."

"You have an entire hallway of those exact same robes-"

"On _Asgard_ - who have ordered my eternal damnation in the abyss, in case you have forgotten - do you realise how hard it is to find a decent dry-cleaners in this city?"

"Forgive me for ruining your _clothes_ while I was trying to save your _life_."

"You could have been cleaner about it."

"_You_ could have been more careful when giving out samples of your magic to Midgardian scientists."

"I do not constantly look over my shoulder for sorcerers that want me dead."

"Considering your line of work, perhaps you should."

"Well you're a horse."

"Whose fault is that?"

"Why _are_ you so irritable today?"

"Why did you have to end up carrying the child of a foolish human? Or anger enough of Asgard that they would believe some idiotic accusation that the child is Thor's? The gods do not give a damn about who you share your bed with, they want your head on a spike - for everything you have done in the past - and this has given them the opening they have been waiting for."

Loki opened his mouth to speak but Sleipnir cut him off angrily.

"You are with-child, rendering you more vulnerable than you have ever been; the whole of Asgard wants you thrown into the abyss; and you had to trust _another_ foolish human with the very essence of your magic and now there is _another_ person - a sorcerer - who wants you dead."

"Nir-"

"Are you _trying_ to kill me?" cried Nir.

Loki found himself smiling. "I fail to see how any of that results in your death," he said dryly.

"I am Sleipnir Lokison," he replied, standing regally in his Asgardian leather and straps. "I will be damned a thousand deaths before I allow anyone to harm you - even if you _are_ an utter fool."

Loki reached out and pulled the boy towards him - earning himself a scowl. Holding his son's face in his hands, Loki said coolly, "You will find the Midgardian sorcerer and end him while I deal with the Asgardian who accused me of being with Thor."

"We do not know who either of them are," Sleipnir pointed out. "And even though we have his staff, the Midgardian sorcerer still has the vial containing the essence to your magic. It is only a matter of time before he devises another method of destroying you and what if I do not find him until it is too late? And what of Asgard - do you truly think last night was enough?"

"With Heimdall having seen what he saw, he should now believe that the child is no more - thereby rendering my sentence null and void."

"Loki, they think the child is Thor's - accusing you of a crime like that, someone on Asgard is desperate for your demise while the others are calling for your blood - and you cannot hide from Heimdall forever. You will have the child eventually, and it will exist, and it's not like we can cloak it in invisibility for the rest of its life-"

"We continue with the plan, Nir. I have shielded this mansion and Stark Tower so Heimdall cannot see or hear us here but in my current state that is the extent of my ability. When you are outside the vicinity, you must continue being my hunter and Odin's servant. Have Thor believe you are still after my capture, his...temper will make it more convincing and he cannot know you are working with me - Thor cannot keep a secret to save his life, let alone mine."

"Lying to Thor is..." Sleipnir sighed and Loki slapped the back of his head.

"You are soft, Nir. Heimdall will suspect something if things are too calm. Emotions will run deep, it is only natural-"

"Is that why you are allowing Stark to burden himself with guilt that is hardly his to carry?"

"I'm carrying his burden, let him carry some of mine."

"He cares about you. He is a fool who doesn't know it yet but he does."

"And you, Sleipnir, have far too much compassion for a Midgardian who doesn't know of your existence."

Sleipnir's expression darkened, his words heavy. "You don't have enough for those who know of yours."

* * *

Clint and Natasha stared at the computer screen, watching the scene in Banner's bedroom unfold. From a tiny security camera at the very corner of the room, they watched as Loki and Sleipnir agreed to sneak into the laboratory and take another look at the staff.

On another computer screen, Thor was pacing his bedroom - back and forth and back again - before throwing himself on the bed with a loud cry.

In the lowest screen, Bruce and Tony were sitting at opposite ends of a table while Steve circled them. Suddenly, Tony picked up a vase and flung it at Bruce's head - Steve caught it in the nick of time and yelled at Tony to leave his grandmother's vase out of this.

Natasha frowned, watching the first screen again as Loki's son turned into an eight-legged horse.

Clint hadn't stopped staring at that screen since Sleipnir walked into Bruce's bedroom. "Are you seeing this shit? This is fucked up, Tasha, this is seriously-"

"We're calling a meeting."

"What?!"

Natasha glared at him. "JARVIS, switch on the intercom." She picked up the microphone. "And make sure this is broadcasted to every room in the mansion."

"Tasha, what are you doing?"

She looked at Loki and Sleipnir again. "I'm saving their lives. No more secrets, no more lies."

* * *

A loud click echoed throughout the entire mansion, in Thor's bedroom, in the dining room where Thor and Bruce were still arguing, and in the corridor where Loki and Sleipnir were stealthily making their way towards the laboratory.

"Attention everyone." Natasha's business-like voice boomed from the walls. "Emergency meeting in the living room in five minutes."

"Oh and Loki," Clint's voice added, "Bring Sleepy-near."


	4. Why do you do what you do to me?

**A/N:**

**1. Don't worry, WLW is a FrostIron fic - despite what may happen in this and further chapters - Tony/Loki _will_ end up together in the end.**

**2. To Wing of Darkness: **Sorry about any confusion. Basically, it's like someone (a random Asgardian that can really be _anyone_ from Asgard at this point) went to court in Asgard and said that Loki and Thor slept together. This random person gave enough proof that the sex happened for all of Asgard (or at least the important people) to decide that Loki must be punished.

(Yeah, I know, the two sleep together and only _Loki_ gets punished and _not_ Thor - talk about unfair).

The Court of Asgard, led by Odin, then decide to send Sif and the Warriors Three to drag Loki back to Asgard to face punishment. Sleipnir steps in saying, "No, I'll do it - not Sif and the Warriors Three," and Odin agrees to send Sleipnir instead.

As part of Loki's plan to make it seem as if Sleipnir is _still_ loyal to Asgard, Sleipnir makes a point of telling Thor about Loki's death sentence and that the baby is his.

So yep, Sleipnir telling Thor that the baby is his _is_ part of the plan.

But is Sleipnir _the_ random Asgardian who hates Loki enough that he would try to get him sentenced to death?

Maybe. He is Odin's steed after all. You'll just have to wait and see ;)

3. In Norse myth, Sigyn was Loki's wife and had two sons with him - Narvi and Vali. As one of Loki's punishments, Vali was turned into a wolf and ripped Narvi's throat out.

Narvi's entrails were then used to bind Loki to a rock while a serpent dripped venom onto his face. Sigyn would catch the venom in a bowl but every time she had to empty the bowl, the venom would scorch Loki's face again.

When I wrote Sigyn, I kept imagining her as Bela Talbot (the british thief) from _Supernatural_ (if that helps).

**4. Without further ado, thank you for following/favouriting/reviewing and onwards with the tale!**

* * *

**Chapter Four**

_**Why do you do what you do to me?**_

* * *

**Nine-ish Months Ago.**

It was two days after Tony Stark left for an Iron Man mission with Natasha and Steve, and three nights since his last shirtless scuffle with Loki.

The god of mischief was bored. He cut the power to the city, dumped bubble bath into a monumental fountain, watched it froth and envelope the entire park (with the help of magic), and duct-taped a man they called Hiddles in front of a girls' school.

He briefly considered releasing animals from a local zoo or destroying Midgard but it was far too much trouble and Loki didn't know if he was in the mood for it. So he decided to pay Avengers Mansion a visit - even if Stark was away maybe there would be something to do there.

There was.

Loki wished he had never set foot in that damned place that day. He should have went to the zoo. He should _not_ have gone to the mansion. But he did. And he woke up the next day with a heavy head and Thor snoring soundly beside him.

* * *

**Present Day. Avengers HQ.**

"Stark!"

From outside glass doors, Loki was glaring at Tony like he wanted to burn a hole through the walls. He could teleport inside the lab, Tony knew, but Loki was probably behaving himself since he knew Tony had every right to be furious.

Their earlier meeting had gone well, in his opinion. Steve managed to get everyone calm long enough for them to figure out what was happening. Basically, a whole lot of people were out to kill Loki and for some _unfathomable_ reason, The Avengers were helping him. Also, Loki had a kid-horse named Sleipnir - Nir for short. Now _that_ wasn't a deal-breaker at _all_.

Ignoring the green-eyed god, he kept his eyes fixed on the hologram in front of him, taking pieces from it and adding new ones with a frown of his face.

"JARVIS, what do you think?" Tony asked, surveying his hologram with a critical eye.

"I think it has a twenty-percent chance of success, Sir."

A familiar chill breathed down Tony's neck. "Stark."

So he decided to teleport inside the lab after all. So much for respecting Tony's privacy. Then again, it wasn't like Loki respected him at all.

"What, Loki, you _don't_ think it has a twenty-percent chance of a success?" said Tony with an affronted air.

"I hid the truth from you-"

"Because you're _Loki of Asgard_," Tony finished mockingly, swerving away from Loki to get back to his twenty-percent-chance-of-working project. "Yeah, we kind of established that two _years_ ago when you tried to _subjugate_ the human race, remember that? How the hell did we even end up _dating_ anyway - oh, that's right!"

He stopped whirling about the lab to face Loki, one hand holding a small grey gadget while the other held on to a spanner. "We're _not_ together - I was just some _toy_ you played with when you weren't _sleeping_ with your own _brother_!"

Loki's face darkened, no one had actually asked if the two of them had slept together - maybe no one cared - but the truth was pretty obvious. Loki could imply all he wanted that Asgard's accusation about the baby's paternity was unfounded; Tony wasn't a _complete_ idiot.

If the two of them had never had sex then Thor would have laughed when he heard about the death sentence, maybe even announce that he would return to Asgard to set things straight - but Thor did none of that. He frowned into space throughout the entire meeting and only spoke to threateningly tell Sleipnir that there was no way he would allow Loki's return to Asgard. Loki had looked pointedly away from him the whole time.

"Thor is not my brother," said Loki finally. "And that was _one_ mistake, Stark."

He knew it. They _had_ slept together.

"What a heartfelt apology," Tony replied melodramatically, placing a hand on his chest. "I'm _touched_ - you really _do_ have a silver tongue, _Liesmith_."

"Stark..."

"You know I'm beginning to see how you got your nickname."

"Yours clearly stems from being _stark_ naked all the time."

"Cheap shot, Loki. You can do better."

"You are emotionally inept and incapable of continuing a-"

"_I'm_ incapable- you know, what?" Tony yelled, gesturing angrily with the spanner. "Maybe this thing _does_ have an eighty percent chance of failing..." His voice trailed off in thought. "I should use a sixty cylinder design with eighty kilowatts...that should work. JARVIS, run the calculations."

Loki glared at him then grasped his stomach, crying out, "Stark!"

Tony dropped the spanner with a loud clang. "What - are you losing Thor's baby again?" But he ran to Loki's side nonetheless, grabbing him as fast as he could. "JARVIS get - I don't know - get _someone_ in here!"

Loki was making weird gasping noises while glaring daggers at Tony. It was disconcerting. Tony didn't know whether he was pissed off and ready to yell his heart out, scared because Loki was angry and might stab him in the face, or worried since the guy looked like he was about to keel over and die. He settled for a mixture of all three emotions.

"Not...Thor's...damn you..." Loki managed between pained breaths.

"Whatever you say, Liesmith," Tony said comfortingly, he tried to lead Loki away from the workbench and towards the glass doors. "Let's just get you to a chair or a bed and we can shout at each other some more later." Tony was quite proud of how pleasant he sounded despite still being furious at Loki.

With a cry, Loki slipped from his hold and onto the ground with a soft thud. Resting his back on the workbench, hunched over slightly, he grabbed Tony by the collar and forced him to a sit. "You-" Loki snarled.

"Are a fool of a Midgardian," Tony finished for him. "Yeah, I know."

"...will make a good father."

Tony froze.

"Even if you _are_ a fool of a Midgardian," Loki finished. His face was less clenched now, more relaxed - sitting on the floor with his legs stretched out.

Sighing, Tony made himself comfortable next to Loki. "No more contraction-y-things?"

"Surprisingly."

"You faked that, didn't you?"

"_Lie_smith."

"I'm shocked at how _not_ shocked I am anymore."

"You are learning," Loki replied, dragging Tony closer towards him.

"Should we make out - this _is_ that point in the conversation, right?" Tony suggested and Loki rolled his eyes. "Too early for make-up sex? Actually-" He glanced at Loki's abdomen. "_Can_ you make-up sex?"

"You are quick to forgive, Stark," said Loki, eyeing him. "Less than ten minutes ago you were marching out from the meeting because I shared a night with Thor - now you are willing to return to me again? Without the slightest doubt in your mind?"

Tony could have said anything. He could have told Loki that he was majorly pissed-off; that he felt like shit because Loki had trusted _Bruce_ for five months - about his sentence, about the sorcerer, about Nir - and not him; that he didn't care about some baby, Loki had _slept_ with Thor and Tony didn't want to be with someone who was probably in love with someone else (with _Thor_ of all people - how can you compete with that?); that he just wanted to stand by Loki's side as an _equal_, as someone that Loki could turn to and rely on, and not be treated like some old _toy_ that you could drag along and then leave behind whenever you _felt_ like it.

Instead, Tony asked him a question. "Do you lov- do you have feelings for Thor?"

He gave him an odd look. "No."

"Do you have feelings for Bruce?"

Another odd look. "No, Stark-"

"Do you have feelings for _me_?"

Loki raised an eyebrow.

Tony opened his mouth to say something before closing it again. He needed an answer. It was weird, he was never one for commitment or long-term planning of _any_ sort but this was different. Loki obviously had a complicated relationship with Thor and more secrets than an ocean had water. Tony had to figure out what was _really_ going on, if they were a real thing or another fling that didn't matter - and if it was okay for him to have gotten in as deep as he had.

"No."

Tony smiled through a stab in his chest. What did he expect? This was a Norse _god_-

"Only the one," Loki added.

Taking Tony's face in his hands, he kissed him.

He wanted it to be like before, wanted to taste Loki between his teeth, wanted to breathe in that scent of leather and cologne, and feel the hold of his hands in all the right places - he wanted it so _badly_.

"You are mine, Stark, how can I _not_ love you?" Loki was making his way behind Tony's ear - and that just made it worse.

He shoved him away, a little too roughly perhaps and Loki winced - his hand moving back to his torso.

"You mean between the lying and the cheating?" Tony asked. He kept seeing Loki's lips on Thor's. The image burned in his mind, reminding him that they could never go back to what they were once were - whatever _that_ had been. Being with Loki, after everything that had happened, would be the stupidest thing he ever did. The guy couldn't even tell him the truth. How could they work if they couldn't trust each other?

Loki's eyes flooded with anger; he saw the look in Tony's eyes, caught the firm tone of his voice, and understood the meaning behind it all. They were finished - and he was _outraged_.

Tony dove for the spanner - not that it would be much of a weapon against a Norse god - but when he looked back, Loki was already halfway out the door. He didn't know whether to be relieved that he was still alive after breaking up with the god of mischief or disappointed that Loki didn't even make the _slightest_ effort to stay.

It was for the best, he supposed. The baby was probably Thor's anyway - biological barriers and all that.

He closed his eyes, trying to remember the days when he wasn't confused about Loki. There was that time Loki was evil and wanted to kill them. Good times. Life was so simple then - no decisions to make, no issues to sort out. They just shot blasts of magic and high-tech weaponry at each other all the time. But even then...there was always _something_ about Loki that made Tony look forward to seeing him again.

Burying his head in his arms, he groaned in frustration. He should have felt good about ending that screwed-up mess of a relationship - it was the right thing to do, it had _always_ been the right thing to do...hadn't it?

Tony let out an exasperated sigh. He felt like shit.

* * *

An hour later, Steve was clearing his throat while he surveyed the miserable Tony over the brim of his newspaper. "Do you want to...talk about it?"

Tony fell into the seat of an armchair, his legs dangling over the side.

"So you _don't_ want to talk about it?"

"Where are we with the whole sorcerer thing anyway?" Tony asked, one eye poking out from underneath a mop of hair.

"Sleipnir and Bruce are in the lab, studying the staff...are you and Loki okay? With...you know, everything-"

"I ended it."

"Tony..."

"What - you're sorry? Don't be. It was stupid, I should have never gotten involved with him. Argh. Why didn't you stop me? You should have been like, 'Tony, don't be stupid, you idiot,' or at least warned me about the dangers of sleeping with the enemy."

"I did," Steve reminded him and Tony let out another long, deep sigh. "If you're just going to mope about all day then go patrol the city with Tasha."

"I want to throw myself into a pool of jell-o and naked girls."

"Shut up and patrol the city."

"No, I don't want to. I want a drink, I want _chocolate_, I want a chocolate drink with _lots_ of booze in it-"

The door creaked open and Tony's head jerked up - but it was only Hawkeye with a bow slung over his shoulder. Tony went back to grumbling, wondering why he felt disappointed to see _Clint_ walking into the room. It wasn't like he was expecting to see someone else - not like he _wanted_ to see that someone else.

_You are mine, Stark..._

He grabbed a pillow and tried to suffocate himself with it. Some part of him wished that Steve _hadn't_ asked Loki and Sleipnir to stay with them until they figured the sorcerer thing out. Even though it was the only way of keeping Loki safe, and Bruce had insisted on it since it was totally his fault that Loki's magic and baby were in danger, all it meant to Tony was that he was stuck under the same roof as his ex and really that was just unfair.

_...how can I _not_ love you?_

He sighed and rolled onto his back, listening to the door opening again and Tasha's voice asking Steve about what they were having for lunch. Clint made a comment about Steve's cooking and the three of them started arguing about whose food was the shittiest.

_You- will make a good father._

"_Loki_ is the shittiest," Tony said to the ceiling.

An awkward silence fell over the room - not that he noticed - until a smooth voice said coolly, "Is he now?"

Stabbing himself in his mind, Tony forced himself to look - Steve and Tasha were by the fridge, looking at anywhere but him, Clint was looking deeply entertained, and Loki was fondling an apple with a pleasant look upon his face.

Tony had the sudden urge to crawl into a hole and die.

* * *

Sleipnir traced his hand over the length of the staff, frowning at the accuracy of the imitation - it was so much like Loki's. The only difference was the catch - a hollow, tube-like structure that was meant to hold the essence firmly while the user flaunted and waved the staff around. The steel had a tinge of gold to it, a gold which shone when in shadow. It was no ordinary metal.

"Banner," he said, grabbing the scientist's attention. Banner had been nursing a nosebleed from the fight with Stark and was breathing in a slow, calm manner. Sleipnir was impressed that the man had not changed form during the meeting, considering the things Tony Stark said to him. The Midgardian was quite the epitome of self-control.

"Notice the way light is reflected from its shaft," he continued. "This metal is found only on Asgard-"

"Asgard?" said Loki, appearing over his shoulder. "Our sorcerer is Asgardian?"

"Maybe there's a connection?" Bruce contemplated, without the slightest blink at Loki's sudden appearance. "Could the same person who told Odin that you slept with Thor be the same person trying to take your magic away? It's a stretch but...it could be _one_ guy attacking you through two different ways."

It was a possibility. "Not many can form weapons from this metal, even fewer can use it to make this _intricate_ a device," said Sleipnir. "It should not be too hard locating the blacksmith responsible for making this staff. I can return to Asgard - what are you doing?" Out of the corner of his eye, he noticed a mist of green rising around Loki.

"Are you going somewhere?" Banner asked, bewildered.

Loki grinned innocently at them. "You two have this under control, do you not?"

"You can't leave," said Banner as Sleipnir exclaimed, "What about Heimdall? If he sees you around Midgard with neither shackles nor my pursuit-"

"No one is at Stark Tower, I will withdraw the shield there and use it to cloak my own whereabouts."

"Loki!" Sleipnir yelled but he had already disappeared without another word.

* * *

Two towns away, a young boy was about to make his school proud. Clenching his jaw, he tightened his grip on the wooden bat - eyes fixed on the pitcher in front of him. He could do this - he could do it! The ball hurtled towards him and he swung the bat, smacking the softball with a loud thud.

"RUN!" yelled the crowd.

And he took off, the wind whipping in his face. He touched down on first base, nearly tripping but quickly regaining his momentum.

"KEEP GOING, NATHAN!" He could hear his mother's voice in the audience, and his teammates.

Second base.

"GO GO GO!"

_Third_ base. He could do it - just _one_ more.

The crowd roared as he skidded to fourth base, losing his balance and tumbling to a halt - laughing as a group of his friends jumped on top of him, applauding, and crying, and screaming - they had _finally_ won the tournament.

The boy was overjoyed, ecstatic, and oblivious to the dark-haired, green-eyed man watching him from the stands.

* * *

Loki heard her before he saw her.

"That was a close game."

He tore his eyes away from the boy, from the growing crowd around him, to face a tall, brown-haired woman dressed in a tan overcoat and heels.

"It was, was it not?" he mused. She smiled at him, unbuttoning her coat in an almost coy manner. The faint scent of her perfume was enticing, asking him to draw closer towards her, and the next thing either of them knew, her fingers were tangled in his hair, her legs wrapped around his waist as he pushed her up against the wall - tasting every part of her he could find.

"Loki." A soft groan escaped her lips.

"Sigyn."

Some things never changed.

* * *

She had a fridge, with _magnets_. Loki was fascinated by it - he pulled a magnet off, and let it stick back onto the smooth white fridge. Then he did it again. And again.

Sigyn - dressed only in Loki's (previously Happy's) white shirt - was laughing at him from across the kitchen. "That was from Queenstown."

"Queenstown?" he echoed curiously.

"Mmm. New Zealand." She went over to him for a kiss. "The boys convinced me to go - that magnet is a souvenir."

"Souvenir..."

"You are enamoured by such a simple trinket? _You_ - who has lived in Midgard for over two years?"

Loki smiled despite himself. He had been too busy fighting The Avengers and causing mayhem and destruction to spend time playing with Midgardian fridge magnets. "Two years is not long compared to the time _you_ have spent here, Sigyn. Does this place not strike you as dull?"

Before she could reply, the front door slammed open followed by a young boy's voice. "Mum! Vic says he's not coming home until six, he's got some history project to work on at school." The boy's footsteps grew louder and louder until he reached the dining room.

Without even glancing at the kitchen area - where Loki was leaning across the countertop while Sigyn poured a glass of juice - the boy dumped a backpack and wooden bat onto the floor and threw himself onto the couch with a tired moan.

He was dressed in the same uniform he had been wearing during the softball match; dark tufts of hair stuck out from beneath his blue cap, his worn-out sneakers caked in mud.

Loki sidled over to the wooden bat - reading the word _Nathan Locke_ on one side - and picked it up, feeling the weight of it in his hand. The boy looked up just in time to see Loki test out the bat, swinging it in exactly the same way the boy had during the match.

"Your grip is too high," he commented with a dimpled grin. His green eyes lit up when he saw Loki, and then narrowed slightly when he saw Loki wearing only a pair of jeans and no shirt.

"How _dare_ you question my grip?" Loki replied teasingly, aiming the bat at the boy like a sword.

"You swing like a girl, Laufeyson," he retorted. Loki took a gentle swing, pretending to hit him on the head. The boy tilted to the side as the bat neared him, acting dead with his tongue sticking out.

"Do not wear filthy shoes inside the house, Narvi, you are leaving mud on the floor," Sigyn interrupted them, leaving the glass of juice on the dining table and gesturing at her son to drink. "I am going to have a bath. Do not do anything _unnecessary_ while I am not in the room."

"By unnecessary you mean stupid, right? Why would I do anything stupid?"

"I was speaking to your father," she called out, disappearing around a corner. Loki scowled and Narvi giggled, kicking his shoes off as he bounded over to the dining table.

"This is the second time I've seen you in a week," he said, helping himself to the drink. Loki slid into a seat opposite his son, studying the boy's clothes and every slight shift of his features.

Narvi caught Loki's scrutinising gaze and rolled his eyes. "You're going to scold me, aren't you?"

Loki looked at him questioningly. "Why would I do that?"

"Mum does - Narvi, you are _not_ Midgardian," said the boy in a high-pitched voice, mimicking his mother. "Do not _act_ like a Midgardian - your clothes are too native, your words have become uncultured, you do not know your _Æsir_ from your _Vanir_ from your _álfar_ - do not mistake yourself as a mere mortal, you foolish child!"

Grinning, Loki flicked the boy's cap off and tousled his hair. "Your mother does not want you to forget your birthright."

"My birthright," Narvi repeated, an otherworldly weariness clouded his youthful face. "My _birthright_ - you mean waking up to the sound of Vic ripping open his own skin and morphing into a beast?"

"Forgive me for being more inclined to accept Midgard as my home," he continued, his words dripping in that familiar Asgardian accent and intonation - without the slightest hint of his earlier Midgardian manner. "Perhaps it is because they have never attempted to have my brother rip my throat out or use my very _entrails_ as _chains_."

"You despise Asgard because you do not hold many memories of it," said Loki, choosing his words carefully. "You were children when we brought you and you brother to Midgard and the two of you have lived here ever since - this is all you have ever known, it is not surprising that you feel no love for your homeland."

"I feel no love for Asgard because they sentenced me to death for _breathing_. Seriously, they turned Vic into a _wolf_ - you had to fake our _deaths_ and give us fake names and lives just so we can _stay_ alive - what sort of parents have to fake their kids' deaths just so they can leave their grandparents' place?"

"Parents that have an unfortunate tendency to be constantly sentenced to near-fatal punishments."

"That's my point." Sighing, Narvi changed the topic. "Hel, Nir, Fenrir, and Jory are coming over on Tuesday."

Loki stopped in surprise, folding his arms. "For what reason?"

"I don't know...visiting? I think Vic called them, his history project is on Norse myth - he probably thinks it's funny to do our family and wants to interview them or something." Narvi shrugged.

"_Interview_?"

"You know - ask Hel what it's like to rule over Hell, get Nir to talk about his life as an eight-legged horse, what sort of prejudice Fenrir might face as a wolf, and whether Jory plans on ending the world anytime soon."

"I suppose you will be..._interviewed_ as well?"

Narvi shook his head. "No way. Even if you tricked Asgard into thinking that Vic and I served our sentence, even though we escaped and I didn't really die, history still only thinks of me as the kid who got his guts taken out - that's all I'll ever be."

Loki regarded his son calmly. When he spoke, there was more compassion and love in his voice than anyone would have ever thought the god of mischief was capable of. "That is _not_ all you will ever be, Narvi."

"I want to be a director," said Narvi suddenly. "I want to make movies, I want you to turn up to my first ever premiere and ask stupid questions like what a premiere is...isn't _that_ my birthright - to do what I want?"

"Perhaps it is...to choose your _own_ path in the world and not slaughtered before you have even had a chance to live."

"Or thrown into the abyss," said a sharp voice. Sigyn was walking back in with a bathrobe on, a towel wrapped around her hair. In her hands she held a small black notebook, folded pieces of paper sticking out of it. "Here. Every piece of information I could obtain on what you requested. Every member that decided your sentence, when their decision was made and by whom. One of them _must_ be responsible for the accusation. Find the person responsible and find what evidence they have against you. Once you have both, you can undermine their credibility and freedom is yours."

"You are an _exceptional_ asset, Sigyn." Loki accepted the notebook, his hands lingering on hers for a moment before she pulled away with a sigh.

"Your love for Asgard is admirable yet foolish all the same, Loki. Take this as an opportunity to pull away from a place that holds no love for you. You will be happier for it."

Their gazes locked as Loki stood up to leave.

"Don't die," said Narvi with a fleeting smile.

"I will see you again," Loki promised his son and with a flick of his wrist, the faces of Narvi and Sigyn disappeared - replaced by the familiar sight of Banner's lab in Avengers HQ.

A single word echoed in Loki's mind, a word he'd said to Stark mere hours ago.

_Liesmith_. And that was all _he_ would ever be.

* * *

Vali Lokison, or Vic Locke as he called himself on Midgard, popped a chewing gum into his mouth. He pulled the hood of his jacket over his head, getting ready to run across the rainy street towards the bus stop. The weight of his backpack burned into his shoulder and he shifted it slightly, trying to ease the burden.

"Finally," said a voice behind him. A large, calloused hand grabbed his mouth while another gripped both his arms together. Vic tried to scream or squirm his way out of the stranger's grasp but the man was too strong - too hidden.

"It has been a while, Lokison."

An Asgardian. A surge of panic rose in Vic's chest. He needed to escape. He needed to warn Narvi before it was too late - if the Asgardians knew they were alive then his brother was as good as dead.

Swallowing his disgust, Vic sunk his teeth into the stranger's hand - tasting blood. He heard a sharp intake of breath, the hand yanking itself away, but the man still had a hold on Vic's arms. Shit. He tried to stand up and felt a sharp kick at the side of his head - blurring his vision, weakening him.

"Let-let _go_ of me," he managed to choke out - trying, and failing, to focus on what was happening to him.

"No," sneered the man - Vic couldn't see his face and could barely make out his outline.

"Do you _know_ who I am?" Vic snarled. "My brother is Fenrir the Wolf, he will _tear_ you apart. My father is Loki - you will be damned for the rest of eternity if you do me wrong, Asgardian."

"I am well aware of who you are," drawled the voice. "Which is why I require your assistance, dear child."

Vic tried to stand, his legs buckling beneath his feet. Damn. The stranger was waving something in front of his face - a small glass cylinder.

_I need to...stay awake_, thought Vic, sinking into the darkness.

He drifted in and out of consciousness, overwhelmed by the heavy force of his eyelids.

_I need to get to Narvi!_

What _was_ that, a vial? No - it was a test-tube.

Why was some random Asgardian sneaking up on him and showing him a _test-tube_?


	5. What use are words at a time like this?

**A/N:** Sorry for the late update (I had loads of schoolwork) and thank you for all the faves/follows/reviews! :D

**Jörmungandr **is Loki's son by the Jotun Angrboða. He is also known as the sea serpent or World Serpent and is able to become so huge that he can wrap his whole (snake-form) body around the entire planet.

* * *

**Chapter Five**

**_What use are words at a time like this?_**

* * *

He wanted to kill them. He wanted to kill them all. A small whimper escaped as another flaming torch touched his bare skin. Keeping his eyes fixed on the ground, he tried to ignore the hissing of his own burning flesh. The only thing worse than the pain was the smell. The sickeningly _barbecue-like_ smell.

The room, damp and dark - save for a small light at the far corner where a man sat half in shadow - was beginning to swim before his eyes. His hands were tied to his back, his knees aching against the cold floor, feet shackled to the wall.

"Snakes have such a high threshold for pain," murmured a male voice behind him - belonging to the person slowly setting parts of him on fire, no doubt. His captors had been at it for days - he had lost track of how long - keeping him in that room and torturing him in various ways in between questions about his father. Always his father.

"Is that all?" he taunted his torturer. "Fire? How _very_ imaginative."

"Tell me where the staff is."

"Between my legs."

Another loud hiss and more searing pain. He bit his bottom lip to stop himself from screaming. Damn them. Damn them all to Hell.

The door in front of him banged open. It was too dark to make out any faces but two masked figures marched in, dragging in a much smaller third. He heard the sound of more shuffling as the third figure was thrown in front of him. Forcing himself to lift his head, his breath became caught in his throat - words lodged in horror at what he saw in front of him.

"Vali. What are you doing here?"

His brother wasn't chained but he had clearly been tormented in similar ways. Vali was struggling to push himself up and when he spoke, his voice quivered with desperate humour, "Yo. Jory. Long time no see."

One of the captors grabbed him by the hair, wrenching his head back to let the older boy see the damage that had been done to his baby brother - a sea of scars criss-crossed his neck, amidst bruises of different shapes and colour, all lined with broken skin - he couldn't even _begin_ to imagine what had been done.

"You know," Vali croaked. "When Jory and I escape, we're going to kill you."

"Are you now?" asked the masked man calmly.

"Slowly," Vali continued, his voice rising with every word. "_Tastefully_. We're going to turn your bodies into artwork, _dripping_ in blood, cloaked in the rancid stench of your _disembodied_ heads."

"Silence," hissed the masked man, pulling out a small dagger from beneath his cloak and pressing it against Vali's throat, turning the skin there pale white for a moment. "Tell us where the staff is, Jörmungandr, or your _brother_ dies."

Jory hesitated. He had vowed not to breathe a single word, but with Vali's life at stake he could not risk their anger. The dagger shifted slightly, piercing the younger boy's skin, creating a small droplet of blood.

"I _intended_ to teleport the staff to my father," said Jory softly, his mind chastised him as his mouth betrayed him. "To inform him of your plot. When you discovered my...entrance into your stronghold and _attacked_ me, my teleportation took a wrong turn. My father most likely has no idea of what you are planning, the staff never reached him, it is probably in a godforsaken place somewhere - I know no more than that."

"How did you know about us?"

"I overheard a conversation while in Asgard, heard rumours of your...quest. It is a fool's errand, my father is the second prince and the kingdom will not allow your deeds to go unpunished."

"The _kingdom_ has sentenced Loki to death. Do you know nothing of your own family affairs, Snake? Ask your brother if you doubt my words," said the man. He twisted Vali's hair, making him cry out in pain.

"He's not lying," he managed to choke out. "Jory, he's not lying. Father, he's, well...ah, you know what he's like!"

"The Laws of Asgard," the masked man interrupted impatiently. "Forbid the birth of children conceived from incestuous sheets. The child Loki carried was the seed of his own brother, Thor, resulting in his punishment - the abyss."

"What?!"

"Alas, the sentence was revoked as the child was lost," continued the man. "Therefore, Loki must face justice through other means-"

"Justice for what?" Vali demanded. "The baby was never Thor's - are you insane? Thor's our _uncle_!"

"_Justice_ for his war crimes, for the people he has killed, and the lives he has destroyed. Loki may have been a prince of Asgard once but he is now a criminal, intent on death and destruction, and he must be stopped. We fight for the good of all."

"Oh, yeah, that makes perfect sense. You're the _good_ guys! _That's_ why you're going around kidnapping kids-"

"You are not innocents," said the man, shoving him at the wall. "You are both bound by destiny to be as stepped in blood as your father before you - it is only when the world is cleansed of monsters that there will be peace."

"What do you _want_ from us?" cried Jory.

"Your blood, spilling into the streets."

* * *

Flipping through Sigyn's book, Loki leaned back in his chair, listening to the muffled sounds of the city traffic outside. The Avengers had lent him a spare bedroom, a simple one with a double bed, sofa, and dressing table - it was a lot less magnificent than what he was used to but cosy all the same.

Outside his closed bedroom, there were no signs of life. The Captain, Barton, and Romanoff, had been summoned to S.H.I.E.L.D. headquarters; Stark was working away in his lab; Banner was buried in a towering pile of textbooks the last Loki had seen of him; and Thor was probably doing something idiotic like _baking_.

He could have gone to Asgard with Nir - maybe even cause a little mayhem while he was there. He wanted to find the person who was using The Court to get to him and turn the culprit into a swine for slaughter. Using The Court, of all things! Such a backhanded, cunning approach. Loki was impressed.

There were interesting names in Sigyn's notes - though a part of him was curious as to how she had gathered the information for him in the first place. Then again, she had always placed a high importance on connections and the like.

One name, in particular, stood out from the rest. Someone who would gain plenty from Loki's demise and whose word Odin would never doubt. Someone who had access to both The Court and Heimdall, who would be able to rouse Asgard to such a state that they would demand their own prince's head.

Yes, it _could_ be him - but the assumption was too premature, too lacking in clear evidence, for Loki to be certain. After all, this possible suspect had once told Loki that he loved him.

Sighing, Loki lifted himself from the chair - massaging his stomach. Just because no one could see the weight he carried did not mean he could not feel it. He just wanted to sleep. Keeping up a suave appearance required a lot of effort and energy, especially when there was something inside of him kicking away like a cat trapped in a duffel bag. He was exhausted.

All of a sudden, a sharp pain in his body left him winded and genuinely gasping for air. He smiled wryly. So _that_ was what it felt like. Perhaps faking labour twice had not been such a good idea. If he went to the laboratory, Stark would never believe him. Or worse, he may simply _refuse_ to forgive him.

Cursing under his breath, Loki decided that if he ignored the pains then maybe they would go away.

* * *

"WOULD YOU LIKE TO EXPLAIN TO ME WHY LOKI LAUFEYSON IS LIVING IN YOUR _HOUSE_?!" Nick Fury hollered, spit landing on Steve's cheek. He grimaced but kept his eyes fixed on the wall behind the Director's head. Next to Fury's desk, Natasha was standing as impassively as ever.

"He's pregnant," said Steve half-heartedly. He really didn't want to face Fury alone; Natasha didn't count since she always took Fury's side and the rest of the team were too much of a mess for him to bring along to the office. Tony was angry at Bruce and _furious_ at Thor, who was _also_ angry at Bruce, while the good doctor himself seemed resigned about the whole issue, albeit a little on the defensive side when it came to Loki and Sleipnir.

Thankfully, Sleipnir had gone back to Asgard to find out more information about the staff - leaving them with only one potentially psychotic person in the mansion. One too many, in Fury's opinion.

Fury stared at him in disbelief, a pencil spinning angrily in his hand. "WHY IS LOKI - THE MAN WHO HAS BEEN _TRYING_ TO _KILL_ YOU FOR THE PAST TWO _YEARS_ - _LIVING_ IN YOUR HOUSE?!"

"Leverage," Natasha said suddenly. "It doesn't matter if the baby is Thor's or Stark's, either way Loki can use it as leverage. Moreover, Banner feels responsible for Loki being hunted down by the sorcerer so he will try to help Loki either way."

"Letting Loki move in means we can keep an eye on things," Steve added. "And he hasn't done anything for months-"

"You think _motherhood's_ changing him for the better?"

"No," Natasha replied quickly - to Steve's surprise. "Loki is Loki. He's dangerous and impossible to pin down. We've never been able to capture him, even when he was with Stark he was always impossible to lock up. Now he's walking into our front door and-"

"JARVIS will let us know if Loki tries anything," Steve assured Fury. "Look, he's being hunted down by both this sorcerer guy and his own people, plus he might lose his magic - his only defence. We can't leave him to-"

"We should lock him up," said Fury. "That's what we _should_ be doing. Without his magic, he's powerless. And if he really is - you know - _pregnant_ then he's even more powerless. We should take this God-given opportunity and _finish_ him off."

"Are you talking about killing an unborn child?" Steve asked, shooting a desperate glance at Natasha.

"I'm _talking_ about capturing one of the city's most wanted criminals and, yes, dealing with the spawn of the devil before we have another magic-wielding maniac in the streets."

"What if the kid _doesn't_ grow up to be a criminal?" Steve argued. "It's not only Loki's kid, it's Tony's too."

"Even worse," said Fury, as Clint - who had been perched on top of a shelf, almost forgotten the entire time - asked loudly, "Is it though?"

Three pairs of eyes flickered towards him.

"Is it Tony's kid though?" Clint repeated.

"Does it matter?" asked Natasha. "Even if it's Thor's, nothing changes."

"No, but think about it," Clint continued. "Loki is both a man _and_ a woman, right? What if he knocked _himself_ up?" He surveyed them all seriously. "Plot twist: Loki's kid is actually _Loki's_ kid."

Director Fury's pencil snapped in half. "Shut _up_, Barton."

* * *

Using one hand to balance himself against the wall, Loki sucked in a lungful of air and forced himself down the hallway. He wasn't sure if he was scared or grateful because there was no one around. There was JARVIS, he supposed, but the situation wasn't dire enough for him to call for help. After all, considering the day he was having, it could be a false alarm of sorts.

After what seemed like forever, the contractions subsided - to his relief. Who knew how The Avengers would have reacted to seeing him give birth in the middle of their corridor? The situation would have been amusing if it wasn't so painful. Resting against the wall, Loki slid down softly to the floor, blinking away the tears stinging his eyes. What - why were there _tears_ in his eyes?

He tried to get up, having composed himself, only to end up on the ground again - crying out in pain and shock. Another contraction. So it wasn't over. Grabbing the nearest table he could find, one hand on his back, he fought down the surge of fear in his chest. Was it too late to turn to Frigga? She would help him, wouldn't she? A sudden realisation slapped him in the face. He had no idea what to do. That was a first. Perhaps he ought to start pushing. The pain was becoming unbearable.

* * *

Tony flicked his hand across the rotating hologram of slides in front of him, eyebrows creased in thought.

"You did not come to lunch," said a deep voice. Tony looked up from the table he was working at, he hadn't even heard Thor enter the lab.

"Yeah well, food can wait - I'm close to finishing this thing," Tony replied. He was wrecked with guilt from the fight with Bruce, the guy hadn't even turned Hulk because he was scared of hurting Tony (he overheard Bruce talking to Steve about it) and that totally made his satisfaction over winning the fight turn sour. Bruce was getting better and better at the self-control thing while Tony only kept getting worse.

Thor placed a plate of pasta on one of the workbenches apprehensively. "I bring you sustenance."

"Thanks." Tony went back to his hologram. When Thor didn't leave, he continued, "If you're going to stay, don't stand on ceremony. There are a couple of stools at the back."

"Loki will not approach me," said Thor, and Tony heard the sound of a chair being dragged out. So much for getting the project done, Thor had obviously come down for a deep, meaningful conversation. Tony held back a sigh. Why did he have to get tangled up with other people and their emotions?

"He does not answer my questions nor will he even look at me. Despite living here, nothing has changed."

"He only moved in a few hours ago, give him some time. Anyway, aren't you two about to have a kid? Tell him it's time you sorted out your issues." Tony had to swallow the bitterness as he said that, trying to keep his voice neutral. He couldn't believe he was comforting the guy that Loki had _slept_ with. Even if that guy _was_ Thor.

"The child is not mine, Loki says it is yours."

"How do you know if Loki won't even talk to you?"

"He speaks to the others, Dr. Banner and Clint, they have told me fragments of what Loki has told them."

"He won't even look at you but you still care about him - you're one helluva guy."

Thor frowned. "He is Loki."

"Yeah." Tony shook his head in disbelief. "And you still love him - even after he tried to destroy the world."

"As do you," said Thor. They let the statement hang in the air for a while, gathering thoughts and everything left unspoken, until Tony decided that he may as well lay all his cards on the table.

"So you slept with him?" It wasn't really a question since he already knew the answer. It was a matter of clearing the air, getting everything out in the open with no skeletons left in the closet.

"There was mead. Loki had dropped by for another of his games, a prank, I wanted to stop him. Somehow, we began conversing - our first time since the Tesseract - and we spoke of Asgard, of the times we spent hunting together, playing tricks on Heimdall, courting maidens, and convincing Sleipnir he was a unicorn." Thor chuckled. "Between the reminiscing and the deed that should not have been done, a few bottles were opened. Once I regained enough of myself to realise what had taken place, an entire night had already passed."

Loki was one thing and Thor quite the other - Tony knew that whatever came out of Thor's mouth was what he sincerely believed to be the truth. The guy was as honest as his brother wasn't.

"Loki didn't mention that you two were drunk, he didn't mention anything at all." Tony sighed. If Loki had tried defending himself and being honest about it then maybe Tony could have forgiven him. But it was like -

"Loki does not care for the doubtful."

"What?"

"Perhaps if only the _two_ of you were concerned, Loki might be more inclined to earn your forgiveness and return to your relationship without anxieties about the future. However, he will be more careful because of the child he carries. My brother is many things but a careless parent was never one of them."

Tony stared at him, confused. "I didn't think Loki was the type to want kids - I mean, the things he does-"

Laughing, Thor shook his head. "That is recent, Loki was always one for mischief but he was never _truly_ evil - his current escapades are part of a reputation acquired recently. He has had children long before the Tesseract and his fall from the Bifrost."

"Really? So he's had _actual_ kids before?"

"He has fathered many - three times with a Jotun and twice with Sigyn who was once his wife. Although Loki does not openly dote on his children, he cares deeply for them - even Sleipnir who he rarely considers his own...more so since the death of the sons he shared with Sigyn."

Tony stopped. "He doesn't talk much about himself, does he?"

"Loki is not one for trust-"

A loud knock on the door grabbed their attention, Bruce was hovering near the entrance with a slice of cake. Tony waved at him to enter, returning the man's nervous smile with a peaceful grin. At least they weren't ignoring each other, that was something to be thankful about. Thor nodded as Bruce took a seat near him.

Tony cleared his throat, eyes on the cake. "For me? You shouldn't have."

"Haha, but maybe you should eat your lunch first." Bruce handed him the cake, glancing at the pasta Thor had brought down for him. Shrugging, Tony took the cake but went over to the workbench. He prodded the pasta. So they were trying to make peace with him? That was nice.

"How fares your nose?" Thor asked Bruce, adding another layer of guilt to Tony's already burdened conscience.

"Fine," said Bruce with a smile. "Nothing I didn't deserve."

"Damn right," Tony agreed through a mouthful of pasta.

"Look, for what it's worth, I _am_ sorry I didn't tell you - either of you - about Loki," said Bruce, wringing his hands.

"It's fine." Tony waved a hand like the issue didn't bother him. "As long as we don't keep secrets from each other anymore...besides, it's not like you slept with him."

"I am also...sorry," Thor added. "I do not want things to be strained between us."

"Yeah, me neither big buy." Tony walked over to him, punching him on the shoulder, before doing the same to Bruce, who returned the gesture.

Thor clapped his hands together. "Let us drink and forgive-"

"Whoa." Tony held up a finger. "I'm not sure I want to go drinking with you, I mean I like you but I don't want to wake up in bed with you."

Bruce looked startled and Tony explained, "He got drunk with Loki and they slept together."

"Holy sh-"

"A once-in-a-lifetime occurrence, my friends," said Thor, rising. "There is nothing more between my brother and I."

Bruce shuddered. "I don't know if I can look at you the same way, Thor."

"Forgive me, my friends."

"Wait." Bruce frowned. "When _exactly_ did you sleep with him? I mean, the baby..."

His voice trailed off and silence ensued - broken only by the sound of Tony's laughter. "Shit, I can't believe we were fighting about _Loki_, I can't believe Loki's _pregnant_, or that he's living _here_ - how is _any_ of this even _possible_?"

Bruce smiled wryly. "I had five months to let the baby thing sink in."

Thor looked bewildered at Tony's outburst. "Loki is Loki. With him, anything is possible."

"Even giving birth...to a horse," said Bruce.

Now that was one image Tony could have done _without_.

* * *

Loki inhaled and exhaled as regularly as he could; the pain had subsided slightly, maybe he wasn't about to have the child. He stood up carefully as the elevator doors at the end of the hall slid open, revealing a bored-looking Tony Stark carrying two empty plates in his hands.

Their eyes met, reflecting identical expressions of surprise. More contractions gripped him and he tried not to let it show on his face, tried to remain expressionless as Stark passed him. Their argument in the laboratory replayed in Loki's mind - Stark's anger, his hatred, his dismissal of him, and the utter disgust on his face when Loki had told him he loved him.

He wanted to scream, to say something, to do _anything_ except continue ignoring each other in forced silence - but the door on the other end had slammed shut, Stark disappearing into the kitchen without another word.

Loki's hand flew to his mouth, muffling a small cry. It was _coming_. He could feel the very tip of its _head_. He was _definitely_ having the child. Right then and there. _Stark's_ child.

* * *

Tony glanced at the crushed can in his hand. Had he been drinking? Sighing, he ran a hand through his hair. God, what a day it was turning out to be. And Loki wasn't even speaking to him anymore, Tony felt a sudden surge of sympathy for Thor. To care _that_ much about someone and for them to treat you like you were nothing, it was like having your heart ripped out and crushed in front of your eyes.

He almost smiled. So he _did_ have a heart after all, Pepper would be pleased, and it had only taken a cruel god of mischief to show him that.

Tony wanted to run back to Loki begging for forgiveness, to kiss him and make it all better - but Loki didn't love him. He _said_ he loved Tony, sure, but he probably said that to _everyone_ he slept with. Actions spoke louder than words and Loki cheated on him, lied to him, and refused to trust him with even the smallest detail of - well - anything.

When Tony broke up with him, he wanted Loki to apologise, he wanted to know that Loki _wanted_ to be with him - that he actually meant something to him and wasn't another _Midgardian_ he found amusing. Tony grabbed a plate and flung it at the wall - watching numbly as it smashed into pieces.

He paused. That felt _good_. He grabbed another, tossing it in the same way - but the door opened at the last second and the plate smashed right next to Loki's head as he entered the room. Whoops. Tony immediately looked away. His eyes darted towards the kitchen sink, the fridge, the crushed can in his hand - at anything but the person who was sidling towards the dining table.

He didn't want Loki to see his expression or notice how pathetic he felt. Tony Stark had officially reached a new low. Aching to hold someone that he, himself, had broken up with - he never thought he'd be that bitter ex. He liked it better when he didn't have a heart. Emotions were confusing.

* * *

Loki steadied himself against the fridge, conscious of Stark sipping on a can of coca-cola next to him. It was like being invisible. Stark - whose eyes _always_ lit up when Loki walked into the room, a witty comment on his tongue - now refused to even _acknowledge_ his existence. Tears stung his eyes. Again. Followed by another _damned_ contraction. Loki reminded himself to relax. And _breathe_. It was his own fault that Stark despised him.

The contractions were becoming closer and closer. And the child was _kicking_ in between them. Loki had to consciously refrain from crying out. He needed to say something, but what could he possibly say? The man refused to even _look_ at him. Loki felt a stronger kick, followed by more of its _head_ coming _out_. No. He couldn't have the child. Not _now_. His body disagreed with another push and a soft curse escaped his lips. He didn't _want_ to have the child - not while he was stuck in the damned Avengers Mansion and not when Asgard wanted him dead. Not while Stark _hated_ him. He had to somehow stop himself-

"Loki, what the hell?"

His panicking thoughts interrupted, Loki looked up to see a terrified look on Stark's face, and he vaguely realised that he was clearly using the fridge for support.

"Ah..." He sounded perfectly calm, to his relief - though he was at a loss for words. Now that didn't happen often. And there seemed to be water leaking from him.

* * *

Sleipnir was resting languidly on a pillar, unaffected by the bickering around him. Odin and Frigga were on the throne, of course, and The Court of Asgard were shouting at each from across the decorated hallway. Balder Odinson was by his parents' side, surveying his subjects with disapproving eyes.

"Silence," Odin called out, letting his staff thud once against the ground. The room fell to a hushed whisper. "As Heimdall has reported, the infant is not more. Whether it had even existed is irrelevant. My _son_ is innocent of the charges The Court has laid against him and as _King_ of Asgard, I will close this matter once and for all - unless any of you have any more evidence that Loki should be punished?"

Shifty looks, irritated expressions, and exasperation flitted past the faces of the people there. Balder seemed to be growing more and more angry while Frigga looked positively regal - like Loki's situation had not devastated her. Except, when Sleipnir looked more closely, she had bags under her eyes and her lips were pressed together in a thin line. Yes, she was as badly affected as the rest of the family had been.

Odin was still waiting for someone to speak up. Sleipnir braced himself. It was now or never.

"Loki is still with-child," he announced, loudly enough for all to hear. Stepping away from the pillar, he stood tall amongst the Asgardians. Odin's face remained stoic, but a flash of disbelief appeared on Frigga's. "I am bound by duty and honour to inform you that what Heimdall saw, the loss of the child, was orchestrated by Loki himself."

A roar of discussion erupted from the crowds, each person trying to sound louder than the next. Odin was staring fixedly at him, his true feelings hidden, and Frigga buried her face in her hands.

"However," Nir continued, tearing his gaze away from Loki's family. The sound died down, faces looking at him expectantly for more information. "He is as powerful as he has ever been, perhaps even more so with the assistance of The Midgardian Avengers. You will need Asgard's finest to bring him to justice."

"We will send Sif and The Warriors Three," said Odin after a short pause. Nir nodded. "He will be brought here tonight and locked away in the deepest of our seven dungeons."

"And tomorrow we send him to the abyss!" yelled a voice from the audience. Applause filled the hall and Nir slipped quietly outside, avoiding Balder's murderous glare.

Loki would be returning to Asgard tonight.

All was going according to plan.

* * *

**A/N: **Balder is the third son of Odin in both Marvel and Norse Myth.

Thank you for reading, stay tuned for the next chapter~

and don't forget to leave a review! ^^


	6. What Happened?

**Chapter Six**

**_What Happened?_**

* * *

**Many Centuries Ago. Asgard.**

The first time Sleipnir met Loki he was being attacked in a large meadow - far away from his herd. Two small Asgardians pelted him with rocks, goading him and laughing. In his panic, Sleipnir's two front hooves slipped across a muddy riverbank and he fell right in. The water crashed all around him, forcing its way down his nose and mouth. Sleipnir thrashed about, his frightened cries for help falling on deaf ears.

"They say it has abilities far beyond those of a mere horse-" said the first loudly, over the sounds of Sleipnir's plight.

"Go on then, you monstrous beast, show us your _abilities_. The sons of Thor command you!"

"Do they now?" a silky new voice interrupted. The rocks stopped and Sleipnir took advantage of the moment to push his rear hooves against a large rock, propelling him out of the river and onto the either side of it - away from the boys. Crashing onto the riverbank, he clamoured to his feet - his skinny legs splaying in too many different directions - and he ended up a crumpled heap underneath a tree.

On the other side of the river, a tall Asgardian dressed in green and black towered over the boys. One of them was hanging his head in shame while the other frowned petulantly. The Asgardian tilted his head to the side, his lips curling in amusement.

"We meant the foal no harm-"

"We only wanted to see for our own eyes what it could do!"

"I see. I cannot fault you for your...childish curiosity." The Asgardian lifted his chin, regarding the boys thoughtfully, and Sleipnir stiffened as he watched the scene unfold. The Asgardian's hand was twitching behind his back, hidden from the boys. "Do you know of the most intriguing ability that certain animals possess?" he continued.

The boys looked at him confusedly. "No, what ability?"

"_Guano_."

Sleipnir saw his hand give a small flick and - the next thing he knew - a flock of birds, _thousands_ of them, were flying overhead. Sleipnir neighed in fear and buried his head as low as he could. He could hear the boys screaming and the Asgardian _laughing_. The birds were like a swarm, the flapping of their winds like thunder. Cawing and chirping and the distinct sound of mud _squelching_.

Squeezing his eyes shut, Sleipnir attempted to stay as still as possible until the sounds died down. When he felt it was over, he glanced at the other side of the river and did a double take. The Asgardian kept on laughing but that wasn't the strangest thing. The boys were running away as fast as they could, crying and completely covered in sticky white and brown _bird dung_.

It was one of those sights that you never forget even if you wanted to.

When the Asgardian finally turned to face Sleipnir, his green eyes were twinkling. With mischief, delight, and - if Sleipnir didn't know any better - an unspoken understanding.

From that point onwards, even without knowledge of his origins, Sleipnir grew up with fondness for his rescuer. The green-eyed son of Odin never failed to be there for him, to offer him strength or protection when he needed it, to surprise him at his stable at night with a sugar cube or a new toy, to train him as Odin's truest and strongest steed, and - when the time came - to teach him how to transform into his human form.

Maybe that was why when the truth of Svaðilfari was revealed to him, some part of Sleipnir was hardly surprised at all. If there was one Asgardian who treated Sleipnir like family, it was Loki. And even after eons, that was the one thing that never changed.

* * *

**Present Day. Asgard.**

"How deep in thought you seem, Nir."

The threads of a long-ago memory slipped from his consciousness and Nir stopped chewing absentmindedly on the blade of grass in front of him. Returning to reality, he regarded the Asgardian in front of him with a narrow-eyed stare. Balder, dark-haired and elegantly-dressed in pale gold robes, chuckled at Nir's cold expression.

"Sif and the Warriors Three have left for Midgard," he said casually, gauging Nir's reaction. When his nephew did not respond, he continued, "After you first brought the evidence to Odin, you were adamant that _you_ would bring Loki home, that Sif and The Warriors Three should not be the ones to do it. Now you insist that they are the only ones who can?"

Nir considered Balder's kind expression and the underlying traces of worry in his tone. It was moments like these that he could never decide whether to speak the truth or utter another lie.

"Do not lie to me, Nir. I can tell when you lie to me." Balder sounded angry with just a hint of desperation and Nir remembered his uncle's furious expression in the palace earlier.

That settled it then. Nir poked a large rock with his hoof, feeling it shift in the ground. "I believed Loki to be innocent, Balder. I did not want anyone else to force him or harm him into returning, I wanted to hear _his_ version of the truth. Yet during our confrontation, he was aloof and eventually became violent. He _attacked_ me with his daggers and threw me out a window. His magic has grown stronger and I was unable to defend myself against him - let alone put him in chains. I barely escaped with my life."

His uncle seemed to grow sadder with every word and Nir almost doubled over in shock. The soft fool actually _believed_ him. Then again, all the Asgardians did. Loki had taught him well - though unintentionally perhaps.

"Loki...the brother I know - _knew_ - could never do that to you. He has always been protective over you, he would never raise a finger against you. Others maybe but not _you_, Nir. What has happened to him?" Balder sighed. "Though the truth of his parentage destroyed him at first, that was a long time ago - I believed he had recovered from that and hoped that he would soon return to his own self."

"If only that were so..."

"Thor informed me that in the past Midgardian year, Loki's...mischief has subsided. He said it is because of his friend, the human Shark."

"Stark-"

"What is?"

"The human- never-mind, Balder, carry on."

"Thor said Loki has formed a friendship with the Shark and seven months ago, he began paying Thor and his friends visits at Offenders Mansion. Brief visits of course and he still did not acknowledge Thor but Loki was civil at the dinner table around those he once considered enemies. Though Thor said that five months ago Loki disappeared, I believed his earlier development with the human Shark to be progress and that he would soon forgive Odin enough to return to Asgard - but I suppose that is a fool's wish at best."

"You are no fool. We all mourn what we lost, what he was to us. Loki died a long time ago when he fell from the Bifrost. Now the creature in his skin is unrecognisable, consider his dealings with the Chitauri, Amora, and many more - you know it to be true."

The conversation seemed to pain Balder and he turned away with a dejected sigh. "If Loki is to be sentenced to death then let it be done quickly. The sooner this is over, the more restful my sleep will be."

Watching his uncle walk away, a venomous anger shot up in Nir. Asgardians, _typical_ Asgardians. They felt emotions as quickly as they buried them. Here was Balder, upset that his brother was about to be killed and doing nothing about it. Nir shook his mane in exasperation, his temper simmering down to annoyance. That was why he had to do it. Lying, scheming, betraying those closest to him - he was doing it because he was the only one who _could_. The others were too passive so he had to dirty his hands to do what was right. It would pay off soon enough.

Nir swallowed the sense of dread rising at the back of his mind. Doing the crime was easy, it was the aftermath he was worried about. If he failed then people would die. He blew a raspberry. No pressure at all then.

* * *

**Present Day. Earth.**

Screaming. Glass _shattering_. Smoke. Debris.

They were being attacked. Bruce was down, so was Thor - where was everyone else?

Tony's eyes snapped open and he gasped, sucking in a lungful of air. His back ached and the sunlight was blinding him. Groaning, he forced himself to turn around onto his front and away from the light. His right foot cramped up and he ignored it. _Every_ part of his body was throbbing.

What the hell happened? Around him were shards of broken glass and parts of his Iron Man suit. At least his helmet was still on his head and most of the suit was intact albeit badly damaged. Phew. The paint job would be a mess though - but what exactly had totalled his suit?

Again, Tony racked his brains to try and remember how he managed to get himself beaten up, broken, and lying at the very edge of a dense forest. The last thing he remembered was stopping Loki and his army, and the smart-ass little shit asking for a drink afterwards. Had Thor's batshit crazy brother managed to pull one over them?

"We need to find Loki," groaned Bruce's voice from somewhere. Tony would have faced him but his head still ached and every movement felt like a dozen sharp knives stabbing him in the bones.

"Bruce," Tony moaned to the ground. "I can't feel my favourite parts."

"I can see all of mine..."

"What do they look like?"

"Is this really a good time, Tony?"

"It's always a good time to have a good time." Tony heard Bruce heave a sigh. At least the big guy had joined them, he knew he had it in him. "Right then. Let's go find the others and stop some Chitauri menace."

"Chitauri what?"

"Chitauri _menace_. You know, danger - as in loco Loki and his army of flying supermodels."

Bracing himself against agonising pain, Tony pulled his arms up and - pressing his palms on the ground - used his one good leg to come to a sit. Cursing, he dragged himself over to a tree and leaned on it with his legs stretched out in front of him. He breathed a sigh of relief. He did it, he managed to move without breaking any more bones. That was a relief. But looking down at his body, he almost broke down in a sob. Yep, his suit was going to need some serious reconstruction later.

From his new position, Tony saw that Bruce was sitting not too far away from him - scrutinising him with wary eyes. The effect was lost on Tony who had to stop himself from giggling at the sight of his naked friend hiding behind a bush. Maybe he could give the guy some really stretchy pants for his next birthday.

"Tony, what day is it?" Bruce asked slowly.

"Saturday. It's always Saturday to me," Tony replied but he could sense that something was wrong - aside from their injuries and nakedness. Bruce looked worried, cautious, and - worse of all - completely confused.

"What's the last thing you remember?"

"Capturing Loki...we smoked his army, I shoved a missile up a hole in space, and we went back to the tower to put Reindeer Games in handcuffs."

"Tony," cried Bruce and he swore, burying his face in his hands. "Oh God, _Tony_, you..."

"What?" Now Tony was freaked out. "What? Am I insane? Didn't that happen - why are you looking at me like that? Did I grow boobs and silky blonde hair?!"

"Tony-"

"OHMYGOD I'M BARBIE-"

"Tony!" Bruce's tone was sharp but his voiced sounded calm, a forced calmness - like he was trying to take control of the situation before it exploded in his face. "Tony...that...that whole thing with Loki and the Chitauri..._that was two years ago_."

Tony's insides froze. What the hell? Two _years_? No, it couldn't be!

* * *

**Thank you for reading/favouriting/following/reviewing!**


	7. What do we do now?

******Thank you for following/favouriting/reviewing!**

* * *

**Chapter 7**

**_What do we do now?_**

* * *

"How many fingers am I holding up?" Bruce asked, waving four fingers in front of Tony's face. He had forced him to sit on the stump of a tree, now in Tony's pants and shirt while the other remained in the broken Iron Man suit.

"A hundred," said Tony. "No, fifty - wait, twenty?"

"Tony-"

"Look, we've been over this before. I feel great-"

"You're missing two years of your memory," Bruce reminded him and tilted Tony's head upwards to get a better look at his pupils.

"So what happened anyway?"

"It's a long story." Bruce forced out a smile. "You look okay and you seem...functional. We should find Loki-"

"The little shit's still causing trouble then?" Tony asked. "Doesn't seem like anything's changed in two years."

At first, Bruce looked taken aback at Tony's words and his mouth opened like he was about to say something. To Tony's suspicion, however, Bruce then hesitated and turned away looking conflicted. Tony narrowed his eyes, stretching his head sideways to meet Bruce's gaze, forcing the other man to look at him properly. "What are you not telling me?"

"It's complicated." And there was that I'm-trying-to-maintain-my-composure smile on his face again. "Loki isn't...the person he was two years ago. Look, we just need to find him and get you both to a hospital, okay? I promise I'll explain everything later."

Tony stared at him, then shrugged. "Fine. Let's split up, we'll cover more area that way."

"And Tony!" Bruce called out as Tony stumbled away in his half-broken suit. "Don't hurt him. Make sure you don't even threaten him, he's...injured."

"Got it!" He waved in acknowledgement, despite questioning the state of _Bruce's_ mind. Don't hurt Loki? Tony shook his head, fighting down a frustrated confusion. Looks like a lot had changed in two years.

* * *

A rustle in the bushes and the very faint sound of crying caught Tony's attention. Was that...a baby? He hurried over to the bushes, panicking slightly, and - sure enough - hidden just out of plain sight was a small, red-faced child wrapped tightly in a green cloth. It had bright green eyes and dark hair, its face scrunched up as it cried, tiny fists waving in the air.

"Holy sh-" Tony raised his hands towards it, fully intending to pick the baby up but dimly remembering that he had no idea how to. He'd never held a baby before - and oh God, he didn't want to accidentally break the thing. Plus, he was pretty sure that was Loki's cloak and that just made things even weirder.

"Okay, kid, don't fall apart or spontaneously combust or anything, okay?" He told it gently, slipping his left hand under its head and using his right arm to gather up the bundle. Right, that wasn't too bad. He lifted it, surprised at how light it was, and brought the squirming bundle closer to his chest.

Something slipped from underneath the cloak, falling onto the ground, and Tony shifted the baby to fit more comfortably into his left arm, bending his knees - painfully - to reach towards the ground and pick up the piece of paper. It had been folded a couple of times. Turning it over, he read the word _Stark_ written on it.

What the - did Loki leave behind a baby along with a letter addressed to him? Tony eyed the letter suspiciously before pocketing it in a small hole in the suit, he could read it later.

Cradling the baby gently, he tried to soothe it and after a few minutes its cries lowered to a sob. When he ran a hand across its wet cheek - because, really, the thing was _adorable_ - it grabbed Tony's finger in a tight grip and promptly brought it to its mouth. Tony grimaced at the sensation of saliva and tongue on his finger. It seemed to think he was food. Lovely.

Looking into the baby's bright green eyes, he could've sworn it was just being cheeky.

"Where'd you come from, little guy?" he asked. After a moment of hesitation, he opened the cloak for confirmation and immediately tucked it close again. "Yup, definitely little _guy_. You look a lot like him, you know. I should call you Loki 2.0, or Baby Loki."

Baby Loki was looking at him and making gurgling noises.

"You are _way_ too cute to be his son."

"Tony?" He spun around to see Bruce and Steve appearing behind him.

"Hey, guys," he managed to say as the baby started wailing again. "Look what I found."

* * *

"Tell me why Loki's suddenly one of the good guys now," Tony demanded, pushing the living room door open with both hands and giving Bruce and Steve an exasperated glare. "While you're at it, you can also fill me in on why Loki has a kid and why _we_ currently trust _him_." Noticing that the two men were playing cards at the table, he added, "Where's Baby Loki anyway?"

After they found him, Steve brought Tony to the hospital while Bruce took the baby, assuring Tony that they would explain everything to him later. Needless to say, they hadn't. After insisting that he was perfectly fine, Tony and Steve returned to Stark Tower where Bruce was waiting for them - along with a S.H.I.E.L.D. agent wanting to start a de-briefing session.

That was almost an hour ago and Tony had sent the agent off immediately, claiming that he needed to rest when in fact he had spent the last hour hacking into S.H.I.E.L.D. database and absorbing every bit of information he could about the last two years of his life.

The longer he continued reading, the more alcohol he ended up pouring. Firstly, he had been in a relationship with Loki. At that point, he decided to confront Steve and Bruce, and demanded to know their version of things. He couldn't figure out what to do unless he knew about everything that had happened.

"Sit down, Tony," said Steve, pulling out a chair beside him.

Tony folded his arms. "I'm good, thanks."

"The baby's at S.H.I.E.L.D.," Bruce muttered, running a finger across the top of his cards, a distracted look in his eyes.

"_What_? You _let_ them _take_ Baby Loki?!"

Bruce slammed his cards on the table as he jerked to his feet, causing a shockingly loud crash as his chair fell to the ground.

"Calm down," Steve started and Bruce ran a hand through his hair.

"I am calm," he said weakly. "Look, we _tried_, okay? We tried to do the right thing but we're out of our depth. I don't even have the staff, Sleipnir took it with him."

"In case you don't remember," Tony said with a laugh. "I don't know what you're talking about - I can't _remember_ a _damn_ thing. All I know is that we just handed a baby over to a government agency that kills people. _Loki's_ baby, aren't we supposed to be helping him? Where _is_ he anyway?"

"Does it matter?" Bruce snapped. "I hate to break it to you but he cheated on you, Tony. So stop pretending to care so much about him - he slept with Thor. And do you think Thor feels the slightest bit guilty about it? He didn't even apologise to you, did he? They-"

"That's enough," said Steve sternly, rising to his full height. "We don't need another fight. For the record, Bruce, Thor _does_ feel guilty; he was pretty messed-up, he just doesn't show it because he doesn't know how to. And you can't say for certain what Loki's feelings towards _anyone_ are, the point is that we _wanted_ to help him - we did - but there's nothing more we can do. The Asgardians came to our mansion and destroyed it. We can't even fight against S.H.I.E.L.D. either because they're right, we don't know anything about taking care of a baby. He's in better hands there and-"

"So what?" Tony asked. "We just sit here playing cards?"

Steve didn't reply, he was eyeing Bruce warily and Tony followed his gaze with a frown. Bruce hadn't even picked up his chair, he'd walked over to the kitchen, cards still in hand as he leaned on the wall, his back towards them and one arm stretched over his head.

"Bruce. You okay?" Steve asked, and Bruce spun around with a bitter smile.

"Bruce," Tony started but the usually calm scientist was clearly distraught, yelling, "We should be out there, _fixing_ this situation!"

"I thought there was nothing more we could do," said Tony, raising an eyebrow.

"And you're just going to _accept_ that?" Bruce shook his head disbelievingly. "You want to know what's happened in the past two years? You _really_ want to know?"

"Bruce." Steve shot up as Bruce said at the same time, "Don't tell me to stay calm, I'm fine. I'm not the one who can't control myself - and don't tell me to shut up, he's lost his memory and he needs to hear this."

"Okay?" Tony tried and Steve shot him a look which was clearly meant to tell him to shut up. "Go ahead then, tell me."

"You act like _he's_ the one who played _you_ but you couldn't even see what _you_ were doing to _him_," said Bruce, he sounded calm but his eyes were hard and unforgiving. "The only person more unstable than Loki was you, you're the one who wanted to be with him but _didn't_ want to be with him. You're the one who compromised yourself for a relationship doomed to fail, convinced yourself that it could work, and then tried _every_ possible thing to make sure it _didn't_ work."

"That doesn't make any sense," Tony interrupted and Bruce threw his cards into Tony's face, seething.

"_You_ don't make any sense! When you were with Loki, how many times did you tell me that you were going to end things with him? How many times did you plan to? Countless. And then you just keep running back to him, you keep pulling him along because you can't let him go. News flash, Tony, you can't _want_ someone and _not_ want someone. You can't drag them down with your screwed-up issues - you make a decision and you stick to it. You can't make them feel like you could leave them at _any_ moment just because you _feel_ like it."

Tony's smile fell from his face, replaced by an anger steadily growing from his stinging pride. Right. That hit a nerve. He may not know what the hell happened between him and Loki but Bruce had no right to judge his relationships - who the hell was he to say that Tony had issues?

"When was the last time _you_ were with someone?" Tony challenged him. "And in case you didn't realise, I'm not the one who turns into a big green-" Bruce grabbed him by the collar, slamming him to the ground with all the force of a bulldozer.

"If you say another word," said Bruce, his eyes boring into Tony's face. "I will hit you so hard your ancestors will scream."

"Are you coming on to me?"

"Stop it," snapped Steve. "_Both_ of you. We have enough problems without stirring things up between ourselves."

"Stirring things up?" Bruce laughed, though he released Tony. "Things were stirred up between us ages ago-"

"The moment Loki walked through those front doors seven months ago," said Steve. "I know you don't remember, Tony, but you trusted him. You convinced me that it was alright for you to be with Loki, that you wanted it. Now I didn't know what was going in that head of yours but I was okay with it because I trusted you and you saw something in Loki that made you feel as if he could still be saved. Like you could save him."

"So this whole thing is my fault? I don't remember _anything_," Tony reminded them again, his voice aching with despair. What could he do? Besides, weren't they playing cards just a moment ago? Now they wanted him to save the day or something - it was enough to drive anyone mad.

"Fine," said Steve. "But this is it, Tony, this is _that_ moment when you take either one road or the other. Your memory may never come back, you may never know how you felt about him, and you may never care for him ever again and if that's the case then fine, we keep playing cards, we forget about Loki and we carry on with our lives.

But if some part of you still cares about him, if you want to save him, then we have your back and we'll go all the way. We'll break into S.H.I.E.L.D., we'll take back the kid, heck, I'll even follow you into Asgard to rescue your boyfriend if you want - but you have to make the call and make sure that's what you want. Because I don't care about Loki, the only reason I'd help him is for you. What do _you_ want?"

Tony felt like the world had been turned upside-down. One minute he was trying to save the world from an evil super villain from outer space and, the next thing he knew, he was in a relationship with that same super villain and forced to decide whether or not he could save him from the world. He'd had two conversations with the guy, how the hell had things escalated so quickly in two years?

Pushing Bruce off of him, Tony pulled himself up and surveyed his teammates with a sigh. "If we don't rescue him?"

"He's been sentenced to death in Asgard."

"Where did the baby come from?"

Bruce and Steve exchanged looks. "Loki was...well, pregnant," said Bruce and Tony choked, looking at him like he was insane.

"Our reaction exactly," Bruce said wryly.

"Even though the baby is yours," Steve continued. "Asgard thinks it's Thor's and sentenced Loki to death because they used to be brothers. Their law."

"Because Loki and Thor slept together," Tony added. He didn't know how to feel about that.

"They were drunk and it was an accident," said Bruce defensively.

"Tony, going after Loki and fighting against S.H.I.E.L.D. is not going to be easy."

"Is it worth it?" he asked.

Bruce sighed at him, and Steve looked him squarely in the eye. "Only you can decide that. Not me, not Bruce. If it's worth it for you then it's worth it for me."

"That's...nice of you." So Steve and him had become buddies? That was unexpected. There was something else going on though, he could tell by the way the two of them stood tensely around him, watching him consider everything that had happened.

They were testing him, he realised. Or, to be more precise, they were testing to see if Loki was worth fighting for. Tony turned away, feeling their gazes on the back of his head as he pulled out the piece of paper from earlier. Slowly, he pulled it open - and laughed as he read what was written on it. Smart-ass little shit.

"JARVIS," he said aloud, turning back to his teammates. "Get ready a spare suit."

Steve looked at him with relief. "Right then, off to S.H.I.E.L.D. headquarters?" he asked, and Tony smirked.

"No one takes my stuff and gets away with it," he replied, heading towards the door.

It was time to pick up Baby Loki.

* * *

**A/N: **

Ahhh this was such a Tony-centric chapter ~ the next one will go back to the usual mixed format of the past chapters + A LOT more Loki because he's been absent for too long.

(The next few lines are summary + my replying to feedback, feel free to skip)

**1._ Ola: wait, i am so confused right now...how did tony lose his memory and why __did loki abandon the baby? did sif and the three capture him without that __being explicit?_**

Tony was hit really, really hard on the head.

Sif & The Three arrived on Earth, found Loki in Avengers' Mansion (damn Sleipnir gave them the information), and there was a huge fight there.

The only references I made to that was Balder mentioning that Sif & 3 were on Earth, and later - after Tony lost his memory - Steve says something about the mansion having been destroyed by Asgardians, implying that there was a fight between them and Sif & 3.

Which also links to why Steve and Bruce were in Stark Tower, they weren't babysitting Tony or anything, they just had nowhere else to play cards.

Sorry for not making it more explicit - I'll try to make things clearer next time.

So basically the loss of Tony's memory happened during that fight with Sif & 3 at Avengers Mansion, he was badly concussed and the amnesia was just an unfortunate accident really. Judging by everyone's actions around him, they think it's not serious - which is why they're totally okay with beating him up and yelling at him - and he might even gain back his memory eventually. _Maybe_.

As for Loki, he's been captured and brought back to Asgard - no more Asgardians on Earth at this point. Even Thor's gone back with them. More on all of that next chapter :)

As for why Loki abandoned the baby, he's in Asgardian jail right now. The next chapter starts off in Asgard and deals with Loki, Thor, Sif & 3, Sleipnir, and the rest of the Asgardians so hopefully that'll give you more clarification on the things I've left hanging.

**2. Now, to sum up the story so far (because I feel like it needs a short summary):**

Loki has been captured by Sif and The Warriors Three, brought to Asgard with Thor to face justice.

Jory and Vali are still being tortured - what's going to happen when Sigyn realises her son is missing? Who are their mysterious captors, what do they _really _want with the two boys, and how did they get a hold of a staff that can stem Loki's powers?

What is Sleipnir up to? Mysterious Sleipnir, he genuinely cares about Loki and wants to do 'what's right' - even though _he's _the one who framed Loki and brought about his death sentence?!

As for the humans, S.H.I.E.L.D. has taken Baby Loki, and Steve and Bruce didn't fight back because they don't know if Tony still cares about Loki - I mean if Tony doesn't care, why would they, right?

After reading Loki's secret message to him, Tony realises he does have feelings for Loki. He doesn't quite know what he's doing but he's doing _something _because Loki is a smart-ass little shit and something about that makes Tony like him.

However, what Tony and Steve did not notice - although Steve _maybe _knows - is that Bruce Banner is not himself. Could it be - _Bruce _is in love with Loki too?

Then again, who isn't?

**To be continued...**

**(If anything else was confusing/unclear - let me know :D ) **


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